Seraph of the End: Reversed
by 31seasons
Summary: Mikaela Hyakuya is a witness and survivor who escapes from the vampire city, blaming himself for the deaths of his family. He decides to eliminate the vampire race, not only for the sake of humanity, but for the desired goal of his friend Yuu, to prove that even vampires can be defeated by a mere human.
1. The Beginning of the End: I'm Sorry

**[Disclaimer]** I don't own Seraph of the End~

* * *

 **[The Beginning of the End: I'm Sorry]**

 ** _"But Yuu… that was the first time, that you've called us your family…"_**

* * *

He had done it. Swift and silent, just like that. His hands were silently shaking, his heart was pounding faster than the speed of light, and his nerves jingled uncontrollably, but he had done it. After endless preparations, careful planning, and gathering every ounce of courage he possessed, he had finally accomplished what he set out to achieve. Now, there was only one thing left to do…

 _Calm down,_ the young, human boy told himself. His pale blue eyes nervously followed the rocky path that led into the darkening, quiet and empty town square. _If all goes according to plan…_

There was a sudden movement, like someone running, that made him jerk his head to the side. The moonlight shone on the pavement, and the young human quietly breathed a sigh of relief. There was no being, human or vampire, in sight. The town square stayed murky and depressing as ever. Perhaps the wind was a bit too strong tonight…

No. He should not think like that. The light-haired boy bit his lip. This was a city full of blood-thirsty vampires. Humans to them were considered livestock, and the sight of one walking alone in the middle of the night would surely be an excellent excuse to retrieve blood, dead or alive. It was forbidden for a vampire to directly attack a human, but could anyone truly believe and obey the law, heart-for-heart?

Aware that his life may very well be at risk, he picked up his pace, blood flowing into his pale cheeks as he turned into a street.

 _I won't have to go through this anymore. None of us will,_ he thought, taking a deep breath to ease the nervousness and excitement that overrode his body. _We'll escape from here…_

He took another deep breath. They could do it. They could escape tonight. Why couldn't they? He had stolen two beneficial items tonight; they could sneak out without anyone knowing, and at last, they would all escape from this cursed city. He smiled at the very thought. Freedom, instead of slavery. Warm and savoury foods, instead of garbage. Happiness, instead of misery.

A familiar small townhouse popped into view as he walked, a light from a streetlamp flickering almost suspiciously as he drew nearer.

He went up the steps towards the front door and waited. No sound came from within, verifying that all the inhabitants must be asleep.

Or maybe all except for one. The young boy pondered for a moment before speaking to himself.

"I wonder if Yuu's still awake? Maybe I should tell him about the plan tomorrow."

Feeling a hungry growl echoing from the depths of his stomach, Mikaela Hyakuya quietly turned the doorknob and walked inside.

* * *

There was a delicious smell of curry wafting around on the other side of the hallway as he entered.

Mikaela smiled. "Looks like everyone ate a lot tonight... Akane's cooking smells like it's gotten better, too."

He made his way toward the empty, candle-lit kitchen, and clambered onto the staircase that rested on the left side. As he almost reached the top of the second floor, he caught sight of a silhouette laying down and smiled again.

"Hey, Yuu. I'm back."

A moment passed before the silhouette of a young boy opened his mouth to whisper his reply.

"Great to hear." There was the sound of a blanket being draped around, and a pair of emerald-green eyes flashed through the darkness for a brief moment before vanishing.

The blond-haired human rubbed the back of his neck, feeling rather amused. It was typical of Yuu to act this way; despite the things Yuu had said to him this morning, Mikaela knew wholeheartedly that his friend really cared about him. The fact that Yuu stayed up to wait for him was pure proof.

"Aren't you going to say, 'welcome back'?" he asked playfully, climbing all the way to the top and coming to sit in a crossed-leg position on the floor beside his hot-headed friend, who took the opportunity to turn on his side, his face hidden in the shadows.

Yuu made an odd noise, causing Mikaela to sigh in amusement.

"By the way, I ate your portion of the curry rice."

"You didn't!" Mikaela cried in a hushed whisper. He noticed that Yuu looked rather stiff, as he was not sprawled out in a relaxed way, but in a firm, independent position, his face concealed by shadows. A worried expression swam across Mikaela's face.

"I didn't," the dark-haired boy replied, his voice strangely muffled. "It was really good, you know. The kids were so happy."

"I'm glad!"

"So?"

Mikaela was taken off guard by the sudden sharpness that seemed to occupy the atmosphere. His nerves started to go out of whack again as Yuu continued on.

"What did you have to do for that curry?" Yuu's voice was low, but there was a hint of anger lying beneath those words.

The blond-haired Hyakuya fiddled with his hands, debating whether he should tell. He did not like it; this was a sensitive topic, and Yuu knew it. Was Yuu angry with him at the moment? Worried? Anxious? He couldn't tell, not from the way how Yuu was half-covered in the shadows… it strangely made Yuu feel so far away from him.

"Damn it!" Yuu's sudden curse made him slightly jump."Just stop it, already! Next time, I'll sell my own blood!" he said crossly, keeping his voice low enough to not arouse the other Hyakuyas but enough to let Mikaela detect the irritation in it.

"Huh? You don't have to do that," Mikaela replied slowly. "You…" he trailed off, staring at the back of Yuu's head. "You must become strong and kill all the vampires, remember? Until then, I will do my best—"

" _Don't make me laugh!"_ The blankets were thrown aside almost violently and Yuu actually turned around to face him. Mikaela stared, his nervous blue eyes resting on Yuu's fiery ones. He could definitely see the anger behind those eyes.

"You can't take it all out on yourself!" said Yuu. He stared down at the floor. "I know that. I know… that no matter how hard I try, I won't be able to defeat a vampire. I'm not stupid, I know that much."

So those were his true inner feelings… Even Yuu felt that a mere human such as himself couldn't possibly kill a vampire. Mikaela rubbed his neck again. What was this feeling? Foreboding? He glanced up to take in his friend, his beloved family member. Yuu Hyakuya…

Should not think that way…

"Yuu." A finger was lifted to Mikaela's lips. "Don't say that," he said, seeing the confused look on his friend's face. "The children"—he quickly looked around the room, seeing the orphanage kids sleeping peacefully, their chests rising and gently falling—"all have faith in you," he finished. "Vampires can be defeated. We can do it. You repeated those words over and over, you know? And that gave me st–strength…"

He blinked, and as if on cue, tears started to flow, rolling its way onto the cold floor.

"H-hey, Mika!" Yuu's extremely worried face was suddenly inches from his. "What did they do to you?"

"Just kiii~dding!" said Mikaela, enjoying the dumbfounded look on his friend's face and secretly thanking himself for his amazing acting skills. What he had to do for that curry… Mikaela slightly smiled. Yuu didn't need to know that.

He leaned forward, rather like a child eagerly waiting to tell a secret.

"You really thought I was crying, didn't you? I was just kidding!"

"I'm seriously going to kill you one day." Yuu looked most displeased, scowling as Mikaela started rummaging around in his jacket. "Honestly though, are you alright?"

"Not exactly, but…" There was a moment's hesitation.

It was now or never. Mikaela thought about it; he could trust Yuu, he definitely could.

"But, I'm not the type of guy who'd let vampires drink his blood for free… _Voilà!"_ Two items appeared out of the air; a weapon and an old-looking piece of parchment. "I got this from Ferid's mansion with a bunch of other stuff," he said, seeing Yuu's flabbergasted expression _._ "And this"—he held up the parchment and opened it—"is a map! _And not just any map!_ Look here."

Very detailed, hand-drawn pathways could be seen on the map, one of them leading out to an isolated section.

"This exit leads to the human world!" Mikaela said excitedly. He grinned as he saw Yuu glaring down at the map, his eyes extremely wide. His plan was officially underway… Now all he needed to do was get Yuu to agree…

"I approached Ferid just to get my hands on this," he said. "The mansion's big, so it took me awhile to find what I needed. But, enough talk."

"W-what?" Yuu stuttered, seeing the blond-haired Hyakuya standing up.

"We're leaving this place! Today! Now!" Mikaela declared, his blue eyes shining with hope.

 _"W-whaaaat!?"_

Mikaela didn't look at Yuu. Of course, anyone would find this ridiculous. The idea of escaping in the middle of the night without giving it a second thought… it was laughable, maybe.

But it wasn't impossible. He had a plan, after all.

"Don't worry, I've already thought of everything!" Mikaela assured the hot-head. "While a certain idiot was busy going around bragging about killing vampires, I worked on a plan all alone." He smiled at Yuu's obviously offended expression.

"Are you calling me an idiot!?"

"You realized it just now?" Mikaela stifled a laugh. He caught the serious gleam in Yuu's coloured eyes, however.

"But, what about the virus outside?"

"We're still twelve. The virus won't affect anyone under thirteen. We've still got a whole year to find a solution. Besides, with the whole Hyakuya Family together, we can overcome anything!" Mikaela claimed.

Yuu looked as if he wanted to say more, but there was an interruption from the other side of the room. Mikaela brightened, seeing the outline of Akane, who seemed to have just woken up.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked drowsily.

A second passed, in which both Hyakuya boys spent glancing at each other.

"All right," Yuu finally agreed, "let's go!"

Mikaela gave the widest grin he could.

"Yes, let's go! Akane!" he turned to face the utterly-confused girl. "Wake everyone up! We're leaving this place!"

* * *

"Brother Mika… It's cold…"

"How long are we going to keep walking for?"

"Why are we out at night?"

"Mika, you sure this is the right way?" Yuu's voice stood out from the drowsy complaints of the other Hyakuya children.

"Yes," Mikaela replied slowly, as they entered an unknown chamber. He was correct; they had followed the directions accurately. Mikaela had even carefully marked spots to ensure they weren't going in circles. Yet…

"This doesn't feel right," Yuu muttered, as the group quietly tip-toed around, remembering to not be in plain sight.

"Watch it!" Mikaela let out a hiss, and with a quick hand, gestured everyone to fall back into a corner.

"W-what is it?" He could hear Akane's terrified whisper.

"Ssh." Heart beating unbelievably loud, Mikaela peered around the edge of the sectioned wall they were all hiding behind. His eyes widened, seeing cloaked vampires, no doubt on duty, roaming around the perimeter.

"Damn vampires." He could hear Yuu's angry whisper this time.

"Quiet, Yuu."

Mikaela turned to the younger children and pressed a finger to his lips, signalling that they all must remain quiet. He looked at their horrified and scared faces, Akane shielding them with her tiny hands.

"Sister Akane, my feet hurts…"

"Just hold on for a while longer. We're almost there."

He gritted his teeth. If they all died, it would be his fault… He glanced sideways at Yuu, who was still eyeing the guards.

He couldn't let Yuu die, either. No way in hell would he let that happen.

"It's clear!" Yuu announced after a few moments, and sure enough, the vicinity appeared empty.

"Let's go," Mikaela quietly instructed, and acting as a guide, he anxiously led them onto the next sections.

* * *

It seemed like an eternity when they finally came to their destination. A bright, sky-blue chamber welcomed them as they entered. In the very center of the cold room, was the Gate. Ceiling high, it towered over them.

"This must be the Gate. At least, according to the map." Mikaela checked the parchment. Again, the feeling of dread lingered over him. Something wasn't right…

"Something isn't right." Yuu seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He turned to face the leader. "We've reached the Gate too easily."

 _Was it suppose to be this easy?_ Mikaela frowned. _No… Don't second-guess yourself any longer…_

He smiled bravely, watching everyone's eyes on him.

"I don't think vampires expect humans to try and escape," he pointed out. "After all, the virus is still rampaging out there."

"But this is still all too easy…" Yuu wasn't convinced. Mikaela saw the dark-haired boy constantly glancing behind his back and at the Gate.

"Yuu." There was one thing that Mikaela wanted his close friend to understand. "Live stocks won't leave their little dens even when there are openings. The vampires think the same goes for us. They're taking us for fools, though. We're not livestock, and we're going to escape. After all, every one of us"—he smiled warmly at the orphans—"are geniuses! Well, except for Yuu," he added as an afterthought, causing everyone to laugh and Yuu to scowl.

"Come on, let's go!" Yuu jerked his head towards the Gate, and everyone nodded cheerfully.

" _Ah ah ah—!"_

Everyone froze.

 _No._

"I was waiting for you—my pathetic little lambs."

 _Don't look up…_

Yuu gasped.

 _Don't look up…_

But Mikaela looked up. How could he not? Yuu seemed to be frozen, Akane and the kids were ghostly pale, clinging onto one another like lifelines… He had guided them here, didn't he?

" _Mikaela~"_ Ferid Bathory's amused, sickening voice carried its way into his mind, all the way from the other side of the chamber where he stood.

 _Ferid…_ Mikaela couldn't even gulp. The sides of his stomach started to cramp... His legs began to shake...

Ferid Bathory… the very last person he wanted them to encounter. Throughout the many careful visits he made to Ferid for donating blood, he knew that, as a vampire noble, Ferid was indeed very dangerous. Polite and carefree he may be, this guy was a sadist, and would have the time of his life slaughtering children.

And Mikaela cursed himself, for being so, so, _so_ stupid, to have dragged his precious family into the hands of a manipulative murderer.

"Ah, that expression~"

Expression…? What did his face look like? Was it like Yuu's, full of hatred and loathing? Was it like Akane's, full of fear and panic? Or the children, looking as if they were living in a nightmare?

Ferid answered his thoughts.

"It's one of those expressions humans make when their hope is suddenly shattered into pieces. That's why"—a smirk graced Ferid's beautiful features—"I never get tired of playing this game," he whispered.

"G…ame?" Mikaela could not even hear his own voice.

"Don't tell me—this is a trap?!" Realization and horror seemed to have struck Yuu.

There was a loud tapping sound that echoed around the chamber.

Then, it all happened so fast, in a blink.

Akane let out a devastating cry as Ferid's fangs sunk themselves into the very flesh of one of the Hyakuya children.

"N-no…" Mikaela clutched at his very own neck, watching Ferid drop the bloody child onto the ground, licking his lips as he did so.

"Oh~? I only took one gulp yet she's already dead."

Yuu's eyes seemed to be vibrating with madness.

" _YOU BASTARD!"_ Within half a second, the gun that Mikaela had given him was out in a flash, already loaded and aimed at Ferid. The trigger was pulled, and the gunshot rang loudly around the vicinity. The orphans screamed, covering their heads with their arms.

Mikaela looked wildly around for Yuu—he was thankfully alive, the gun still in the shooting position. Ferid seemed unharmed, and barely looked as if he was threatened. On the contrary, he seemed to be having fun.

"He… dodged the bullet?" Yuu couldn't comprehend.

"It's useless, Yuu!" the blond-haired Hyakuya dashed forward, trying to reason with him. "You'll never manage to hit that monster from this far!"

Ferid's red gleaming eyes focused on the gun.

"Isn't that my gun?" he drawled. "So you didn't only steal that map, but my gun also… " He clicked his tongue, watching their desperate faces. "You kids are really something! So you still have the courage to oppose us! I admire that, actually, and I'll tell you a little something to rekindle your hope. See, that map"—Ferid had the annoying pleasure to actually fix his hair—"is accurate. If you follow the path behind you, you'll reach the outside world."

His smirk widened at the hope that etched across all of their faces.

"Of course," he went on, "once outside, it won't be easy for me to follow you. I really want to hear how you'll _scream…_ " Ferid dragged the word out disgustingly, "when you're trapped between hope and desperation."

" _GET AWAY! NOW!"_ Yuu turned around and cried in despair, directing his words at the orphans. "You must run away! _Run towards the exit! Hurry up!"_

With one very last anguish look at Yuu and Mikaela, the Hyakuya orphans scattered and ran towards the Gate, every single one of them crying and yelling.

"Mika, you and I will keep Ferid busy! We've got to buy them some time!" Yuu shouted, positioning his gun in a hurry.

A snicker followed Yuu's words, and screams pierced through the air.

 _No._

"Didn't I tell you?" Ferid's voice seemed as if it were distances away.

 _No._

Could he hear it…? The splotches splattering onto the floor, turning into a sea of blood… The tiny bodies dropping rapidly… The screams that pierced his very soul, whilst dying in the victim's throats…

 _No. No. No._

"…that I want to see your faces distorted by desperation?" Ferid finished, approaching Akane.

"STOP IT! Please don't!" Mikaela bellowed.

His eyes could not meet Akane's in time.

" _AKANE!"_ Yuu screamed, his voice cracking as if his lungs had collapsed. Ferid gave a nonchalant smile, licking Akane's blood with his fingers as her dead body slipped onto the gory floor.

Mikaela felt so numb that he wasn't surprised if he actually lost the ability to feel. He shakily turned to face his only living family. "Yuu… give me that gun," he said, stretching out his hand. "I'll attract his attention at the cost of my life. You should at least escape."

Yuu was not in his right mind, and Mikaela understood. His family was just murdered before his very eyes… How could he go on like this? But he had to protect Yuu, no matter what, because Yuu had to live.

"Don't be stupid! I won't let you do that!" Yuu said angrily, his hands shaking from fear or anger, Mikaela couldn't tell.

Mikaela couldn't help but smile in this nightmarish situation. He took the gun out of a stuttering Yuu's hands.

"Remember," he said as brightly as he possibly could, "we're all part of the same family."

" _M-Mika!"_

"Ah~Mikaela~ your blood tasted so good," said Ferid, amusement swimming in his red eyes as the blond-haired human charged towards him, his pale blue orbs full of wild determination.

"A—"

The gun was aimed directly at Ferid's head. This was the moment. This was it—

"Ah~?" Ferid's smirk had grown into a full-blown grin. Blood trickled down from his slender fingers as he let out a chuckle. "Oh dear, what's this now?"

" _YUU!"_

Ferid unstuck his fingers from Yuu's stained chest, who was breathing heavily. With a rage of fury, Mikaela smashed the barrel of the gun right into Ferid's head, and without even a second's hesitation, pulled the trigger. Vampire blood oozed right into his face as Ferid went tumbling down onto the floor, and became rigid.

"Yuu!" Mikaela quickly darted towards his dying friend sprawled on the ground, who was half-gasping, half-wheezing. Mikaela stared in horror, trembling so much that the gun kept slipping out of his hands.

"Go," Yuu ordered, mustering the effort to tilt his head up towards the exit. "Go, M-Mika."

"No!"

" _There they are! Over there! Get them!"_ A wave of vampire soldiers could be heard thundering down the corridor.

"You freaking idiot, leave me, damn it… _Hurry up and go!"_ Yuu wheezed, putting his hand over his wound.

"No! Not without you! I'll save you! _I'm going to save you!"_ Mikaela desperately dragged Yuu's arms, steering him towards the steps.

"Don't let it all go to waste!" Yuu screamed, the life in his emerald-green eyes starting to fade away. "Listen, Mika." The dark-haired Hyakuya weakly grabbed the collar of Mikaela's jacket.

"Live, and prove that … that vampires can be defeated," he whispered. "I believe in you… you're my family… I... finally got to have a family…"

Mikaela's wet eyes widen. The footsteps of the guards drew closer and closer.

" _Now go!"_ Yuu threw back the collar, and forced a shove. _"Hurry up and go!"_

Mikaela stared into the desperate eyes of his friend and family member, wanting to remember every last detail of those eyes. He gulped, and stood up.

Then he ran, without looking back.

 _I'm sorry._

Up the steps, towards the exit…

 _Yuu, I'm so, so sorry…_

Screaming as he charged around aimlessly, screaming and screaming, not looking at where he was going, tripping with every step…

 _I'm the worst family ever… I couldn't save you… I let everyone get killed…_

And finally, coming into a bright clearing.

 _But Yuu… that was the first time, that you've called us your family…_

* * *

His naked feet suddenly found themselves on something terribly cold and uneven. Mikaela let out a gasp as he tripped, flying face-first onto the cold, white and wet ground. He sat up, coughing out snow, his cheeks numb.

His breathing was uneven, his eyes painful and burning, his body so weak that he could die sleeping... but he mustered up the effort to tilt his head up and concentrate.

Was he finally in the human world? He glanced up; the sky was dark. He glanced down; the grass and earth were covered by snow. He looked around, and his gasp died in his throat.

From the hill that he seemed to be on, far away, were outlines of cities. He couldn't believe it. The buildings were all perfectly intact, perfectly capable of sheltering a whole population of humans. What did this mean, then? He cursed the vampires… It was all a lie. Not all of the humans died off from the virus after all…

Mikaela gave a trembling smile upon learning this discovery.

"Look, Yuu… it was all a lie… The world isn't in ruin… W…"

It was suddenly hard for him to speak.

 _"W…what was the point of everything… then?_ " he managed to choke out.

Only a few hours before, had they all been talking about escaping, about being free once and for all... How their misery would finally be put to an end... and yet... and yet...

The vivid image of Yuu dying before his eyes was fresh in his mind, and he let out a strangled scream.

"Yuu..." he choked out.

Footsteps rang in his ears, interrupting him from his tormented thoughts, and he spun around, staggering as he got up. Mikaela narrowed his eyes, seeing three uniformed-dressed figures approaching him. He could make them out; one seemed to be male, the other two, females. None of them appeared to be vampires; he could not see any pointed ears, red eyes, nor bloodthirsty expressions.

His heart skipped a beat.

 _Humans...!_

"Is this him? Must be," the male spoke huskily, surveying Mikaela with a curious eye. The man sounded like he was in his early twenties. The Hyakuya took notice of the shielded katana that hung at the man's waist. "Just as predicted by the Prophecy... Boy," he went on, ignoring the startled jump, "you will help us exterminate the vampire race."

"Exterminate…" Mikaela repeated, tasting the word. Exterminate... He could not understand why, but that very word sounded heavenly to him at this very instant. Kill all the vampires... He liked that idea, very much. His hands, still full of Yuu's blood, balled themselves into fists. "Yes," he said quietly.

Mikaela Hyakuya stepped forward.

"I want to exterminate those filthy vampires."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading the prologue! From the next chapter onward, the story won't be as canon. Since Mika is the MC now, his perspective on certain things is obviously different from Yuu's, and vice versa!**

 **As more characters get introduced, POVs will be changed as well!**


	2. Fading Lies: Painful Truths

**[Disclaimer]** Definitely don't own this awesome series~

Yoichi is also one of my favourite characters. He needs more love, though!

* * *

 **[Fading Lies: Painful Truths]**

" _ **There's nothing in the past. You have two options; you either accept what's been given to you and step over the fears that stop you from conquering your goals, or fall behind and become consumed by things you can't change**_ _._ _ **"**_

* * *

Guren Ichinose. The pure definition of badass, or so the owner of this name liked to think. The truth was, as a lowly branch member of the Hīragi Family, Guren would have his superiors pushing him around here and there, expecting him to accomplish things he'd consider as his _not-really-at-the-top-of-my-priority-but-damn-I-still-gotta-do-them-anyways_ list. Not only that, but his higher ups even expected him to _pay attention_ during meetings.

He hated those long-ass meetings. He didn't even need to be present, why even bother? Oh, wrong. He did needed to be present, because not only was he the Lieutenant Colonel of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, he was an Ichinose, and the Hīragis clearly felt that he must be kept on a leash, just to make sure he wouldn't be in their way.

But anyone thinking that should be kidding the daylights out of themselves, because Guren Ichinose was not a fool. Sure, he had been stupid and naive back in his days, having the misfortunate experience of being manipulated, but just like most, he matured. He gradually started to learn that certain things were all a lie, and certain things were painfully true.

It was a tough job being a Lieutenant Colonel, but there were many things he found a reason to live for, and the power of this position enabled him to make his goals achievable.

And tonight was the night to achieve one of those supreme goals. The moment he got wind of the news about a prophecy, he came out to investigate the impact of this divine message. With the trust and help of his Second Lieutenants Shigure and Sayuri, they set out toward the West in the harsh snowy weather, and managed to advance towards the entrance of the underground vampire city.

As luck would have it, they arrived just in time to see a human boy dressed in captive clothing falling through the slopes of the snowy mountains.

"Oh dear," Sayuri whispered, as they saw the boy sitting up and letting out strangled yells, hitting the white earth with his fists. "From his clothes, he must be one of those unfortunate children."

But the boy's clothes were not the reason why Guren's curiosity was piqued.

"Listen to that," he said, as the screams began to resonate, and it sounded very heartbreaking too, if Guren were to be honest. "Poor kid. Must've been through some nightmare," he added, although he didn't sound one bit sympathetic at all.

It took a few minutes for them to reach the slopes where the boy was located, and as they drew nearer, it was obvious that their footsteps could clearly be heard, for the child spun around and positioned himself into a defensive stance.

Now, Guren had seen many kids in his time as an aspiring adult, and he'll admit that most of them these days either looked downright scared, or just downright carefree, being oblivious to the messed-up world they lived in.

But this kid was a whole new different story. It wasn't the blood-soaked blond hair, or the injuries he had. Guren barely paid heed to any of those. No, it was the expression. Those blue eyes... they had an interesting look. He mentally racked his brain, trying to think. What was the word? Menacing? No…

 _Unforgiving._ Yes, that was it. How many kids these days would go around viewing the world with eyes _like that?_

"Is this him?" he said, eyeing the battered boy up and down, from his bruised feet to his ghostly-pale face. He noticed the boy's eyes narrowing at the sight of this action, and Guren had to repress a tiny smirk. This kid looked barely older than what, twelve? Thirteen? Yet, those eyes… they definitely belonged to someone of intimidating nature.

Wow. This was a real refreshing sight.

"Must be," he concluded, moving several steps forward, seeing Shigure and Sayuri exchanging tense looks out of the corner of his eyes. Why they were worried was beyond his comprehension; they were simply dealing with a kid, and scary as this kid looked, all he needed to do was just show off his badassery.

Because kids were kids, and they were _scared_ of badass people.

"Just as predicted by the Prophecy. Boy, you will help us exterminate the vampire race," Guren said in what he hoped was a _kid-you-better-not-say-a-word-and-come-with-me-because-I'm-badass_ voice.

His expectations seemed to be cut short, however, as the kid actually walked forward and said, "Yes."

Well, well, well. What an interesting kid he was. The Colonel was about to reply when the young boy spoke again, his small hands balled into fists.

" _I want to exterminate those filthy vampires."_

Well, damn! A half-smile was etched on his lips at this unexpected declaration. He definitely liked this kid, at least for the moment being, anyway. Something about him told Guren that he would be very useful.

He opened his mouth to reply but the kid interrupted him. Again.

"But what is the meaning of this? Wasn't the world suppose to be in ruin?" the boy asked.

Something like sorrow and remorse could be detected from the boy's words, and it actually made Guren silent for a second. Comprehension seemed to dawn on him, and he understood well enough to conclude that this poor kid had the misfortune to be living a lie these past dreadful years.

"Fallen into ruin, huh…" the Lieutenant repeated. "Is that what the vampires told you?"

"Yes," the young one replied quietly. He hesitated, then quickly added, "I sneaked around a lot at night where I wasn't seen, and vampires would boast about how there was nothing left in the human world but the virus."

"And you believed their words?" Guren asked, rather amused. He could've sworn he heard a scoff from Shigure, but as he made to turn around, the boy replied the next second.

"Yes, but at that time, I wasn't thinking about choosing to believe and accept whether the world was destroyed or whatnot."

"Right," said Guren absentmindedly, giving Shigure a look, who didn't react at all and stayed indifferent as ever. "It is true," he continued, now focusing back on the boy, "that because of the virus, the human population fell to one tenth of what it used to be, and the apocalypse made matters worse as all these strange monsters have been appearing." Guren paused, feeling a stiff tension from both Second Lieutenants. "However, mankind will not give up so easily. _Rebirth is coming._ "

The young child didn't reply for several long moments, causing Guren to wonder if he was frozen from the harsh snowstorm or something. But the blue lips of the kid parted to speak.

"Re…birth?"

"Our organization will take the lead. We'll bring together all the survivors, and snatch back supremacy."

Amazement swam in the boy's pale, blue eyes.

Guren smiled, or as he preferred to call it, twitched the sides of his lips for three seconds.

"Wh-who are you?" the boy asked, his hoarse voice slightly shaking.

This was his cue to be badass.

"I am Guren Ichinose of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army," Guren introduced himself in a cool voice. He extended out a gloved, welcoming hand. "If you come with me, you'll get to kill vampires. You hate their asses, don't you?"

A nod followed his words, and he grinned.

"Then join me. I'll give you all the power you need."

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Guren's invitation to—what was the kid's name again? Mikaela?—and he had not seen the child since that very particular night. In any case, he had ordered Sayuri to be the one in charge of the boy, knowing full well that she was good with kids.

What he didn't know, however, was how much of a–a… _damn_ , what was the word that Sayuri used to describe the kid? Brat? Rascal? Wait, those were words he used.

Guren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to concentrate on some long-ass report.

Was he getting old?

The door of his office burst opened and a breathless Sayuri barged in, causing him to raise an eyebrow in concern.

"M-Mika's fainted," she managed to choke out, panting heavily. "I had him moved back into the hospital ward."

" _What?"_ Guren was beyond incredulous. "Again? Didn't you just report that he was hospitalised for a fractured arm last week?"

"Yes, but this time he fell unconscious after barely running a mile."

 _Barely?_ He would've taken this news more gently if he heard that the kid had knocked out after _almost_ a mile, but barely? Seriously?

Not liking where this was going, the Colonel heaved a sigh.

"Did you also take him to visit the remaining orphanages?" he added, crossing his arms and hoping to the _heavens_ that he'll hear the answer he expected.

"I did, but he's not set on making any friends," Sayuri replied worriedly.

She let out a tiny yelp of alarm as her superior stood up abruptly.

If things had come down to this, he'd rather just deal with the boy himself.

He threw his report that he was holding onto his desk with unnecessary force, unlocked his drawer, snatched a folder, and marched out of his office, remembering to say, "Cover my classes for me," to his bewildered servant as he left.

* * *

One of the patient room doors opened cleanly without a squeak, and a strong smell of disinfectant and other antiseptic substances met Guren's nostrils, making him cringe. He wasn't too fond of being in a hospital, since it brought back unpleasant memories of his days during the virus rampage.

He entered the dark room, the moonlight being the only source of light inside. Someone lying on the hospital bed sat up suddenly at his appearance.

Noticing a chair near the window, he walked to it and sat down, crossing his arms.

Now, how the heck was he suppose to start this conversation? He never had any real experience with handling kids before, and taking into consideration that this may be his first, maybe the words, _"Why the hell are you so weak?"_ wasn't an ideal conversation-starter.

"So," Guren began after a few moments, deciding that he had to say _something_ , "didn't you say you wanted to join the Vampire Extermination Unit?" He opened his folder, searching through the paperwork as he waited for the replier.

"You mean, I'm ready?" a hoarse, hopeful voice asked him.

Guren looked up at the youngling, and he couldn't grasp the fact how, just _how,_ the intimidating, ambition-driven kid he had met two weeks ago, was the same sickly pale boy who was now bedridden in front of him.

If he'd never met the boy and Sayuri had informed him that this hospitalised kid wanted to kill vampires, he'd ask her if she was mentally stable in the head, because there was no way in hell he was going to sent out a sickly kid to the front lines.

But Guren had to remind himself that this was no ordinary kid. At least, he shouldn't be. His eyes shot down onto the profile sheet he was reading, the name _Mikaela Hyakuya_ screaming at him, a picture of an eight-year-old smiling jovially on the left side.

Even after four years, there wasn't a drastic difference in the kid's appearance. He seemed less happy, sure, but the twelve-year-old him, despite his growth in height, was now currently too weak and fragile (was it from donating too much blood?), and Guren definitely didn't like that.

He had bet everything on this Prophecy, and if fate had decided to lend him a weak boy, then by all means, he just had to work with it.

"No, you're not ready at all," he finally answered, closing the folder and looking up into Mika's strangely distant eyes.

"I figured so," Mika replied in such a dead voice that Guren almost wondered if he was attending a funeral.

"Kid, quit acting like you're on your deathbed," the Lieutenant demanded.

He gave the Hyakuya a sharp look.

"I am going to warn you now; I have no use for kids who are physically incapable of joining the army."

"But—"

"Secondly, people who don't cooperate with others and aren't willing to establish relationships aren't good candidates in my opinion either."

"But—!" Mika tried to cut in.

" _Thirdly,_ people who give up easily when they're nowhere near death's door also piss me off," Guren finished, smoothing out a wrinkle on the sleeve of his jacket. "Do you now understand the requirements needed to join the Moon Demon Company?"

"I do! It's just…" Strands of blond hair flowed in every direction as Mika lowered his head.

Guren, who had been resting his chin in his hand, now straightened up in the chair.

"Sayuri told me about the incident. You saw your family murdered by a vampire, no?"

"I have…" Mika tilted his head up to respond. "I saw Yuu die… and I couldn't protect him…" He tugged at his blankets. Guren noticed his pale hands shaking, no doubt reliving his nightmarish memory.

The man became silent for a moment, not from feeling sorry for Mika, but from thinking. He wanted Mika to understand.

"If I told you that you'll never experience something like that again, I'd be lying," he said. "This is war; people die, casualties are made, and sacrifices have to be done. _Listen_ ," he went on, seeing Mika's eyes flashing irritably, "the human population has been struggling to survive and maintain its growth rate ever since. Compared to the vampires, we are inferior in power and number, and even to this day, we are still slowly dying off."

"What's the point in telling me all this? I already know."

Guren mentally groaned. This is why he hated handling kids. How Sayuri and the other Second Lieutenants could endure them was beyond him.

"I'm saying that you're not alone, Mika. Think about it."

Deciding that they had enough talk for the night, Guren rose from his chair.

Mika, however, spoke up.

"Is that why you wanted me to make friends? You think I can't get along with people?" he sounded quite nonchalant, which was odd, because Guren expected some harshness in his tone.

"Oho," Guren sneered. "So all this time you already knew what I was hinting at." As if right on cue, he finally remembered the word Sayuri used.

"You know, you're quite the _complex_ kid," he said to Mika, striding toward the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "I'll be leaving now. If you're still interested in joining the Extermination Unit in a couple of years, here's my final word of advice: get out of that bed sometime sooner, strengthen yourself up, and learn to socialise."

Mika blinked. And then, unless Guren's eyes were fooling him, he let out a smile for the first time since they've met.

"Sure! I'll keep those words in mind!" he claimed, his voice still hoarse but finally full of life, and he actually looked like his eight-year-old self for a second.

Were the words sincere and the smile genuine? Guren didn't know. He couldn't help Mika with whatever the Hyakuya was going through. It was an internal battle, and only Mika alone could face it. Whether the boy would come out victorious or defeated, he'll have to wait and see. But for now…

He turned the doorknob, and made his way out. But not before saying a few words to the hospitalised boy.

"And kid? Realise one more thing; _there's nothing in the past._ _You have two options: you either accept what's been given to you and step over the fears that stop you from conquering your goals, or fall behind and become consumed by things you can't change._ "

The Colonel didn't stop to see Mika's smile sliding off his face as if it were ink.

* * *

 **[4 years later: Year 2020]**

A dark-haired, handsome man walked down the corridor of the Moon Demon Squad Military Quarters—that was a long ass name if he could say so himself— building, yawning because he had been stuck in a blasted classroom for hours. Since it was the first day of the course, he had given out tests to the class to analyse their knowledge, confirming whether or not they were truly capable of joining the Vampire Extermination Unit.

Some students finished early, so out of pure boredom, he decided to take a peek at their answers, and honestly, it was the worst mistake he'd ever made.

He didn't even want to know _how the living hell_ did some of these blockheads actually passed the admission test for the Imperial Demon Army, given the chicken-scratched answers he saw on their papers. Seriously, maybe he should have some of them removed from the course to another Unit by the time the real training starts.

Or, a better idea popped into his mind, maybe he should attend the classes every two weeks. Huh, not bad… He'd just tell Sayuri to be the supply, although she'll technically be replacing him as the homeroom teacher.

"Lieutenant Colonel!" A soldier caught sight of him and hurried forwards, paperwork in hand. "You have a new pending request from an eligible Shibuya student!"

"Oh they passed the admission test? So they want to join the Extermination Unit?" said Guren, trying to stifle another yawn. He took the information sheet regarding his possibly-new student, and scanned to see who it was.

The paper dropped from his hand.

"Uh, Lieutenant…?"

" _This kid is definitely not normal,"_ Guren muttered, feeling an angry tick growing on his temple. "Reject him!" the Ichinose threw the paper right back to the bewildered soldier, walking away in a bad mood.

"B-but he passed the admission test with the highest percentage!"

" _He already passed the admission test! That's the tenth time he's requested to join the Unit!"_

The soldier stared down at the paper in confusion as Guren's footsteps faded away.

"So what's wrong with this Mikaela Hyakuya?"

* * *

On the rooftop of Second Shibuya High, a comprehensive school, there was the sound of someone writing in a journal.

A page was turned and there was the gentle scratch of a pen on the parchment.

 _I had the same nightmare again. I don't know why I'm like this… It's already been four years, so why do I still remember every single detail of that night? I don't want to forget about it entirely, but I don't want to constantly keep seeing flashbacks…_

Mikaela Hyakuya paused, his pen in mid-air.

 _I want to get stronger. I want to accomplish what Yuu wanted me to do, to defeat the vampires. But Guren said back then that I wasn't ready yet. I actually got kind of angry at that, if I remember. He told me I was physically weak, and that I couldn't socialise._

Another pause.

 _Stupid Guren… he went ghost on me for four years while I actually kept my promise… well maybe not "fully" kept my promise…_

Mika sighed, causing a strand of his long bangs to fly into the air and flop back down. Straightening the collar of his grey uniform top, he closed his journal; it was enough writing for today, and he didn't want to reflect back on the past any longer.

 _Want_ , being the key word, because no matter what he thought or did, he still ended up thinking about the past anyway. It was as if he was a puppet, and someone was controlling him, forcing his eyes open with their invisible hands, forcing him to replay those memories…

He decided to now focus on one thing—or maybe person was a better word— Guren Ichinose.

Ever since the Colonel pointed out that he was too sick and weak to join the Extermination Unit, Mika decided that it was time for a reality check. He couldn't stay weak and in bed forever; what would Yuu say if he were still alive?

He had spent the four years running errands for Sayuri, Guren's assistant, in all weather imaginable, from rain to thunderstorms, from blizzards to hot scorching summers; the Second Lieutenant was against it, but Mika was determined to boost his immune system, even if that meant being exposed to dirt and decaying substances.

And just like that, Mikaela became stronger and stronger, the goal of defeating vampires slowly becoming achievable. He rarely got sick now, and could sprint around four buildings in a whole cycle before losing his breath.

Sayuri, very pleased, had reported his improvements to the Lieutenant Colonel, but somehow, Guren felt that it was not enough. So he told his assistant to place Mika in Second Shibuya High to "further enhance his abilities," if Mika were to quote his words.

But Sayuri had told him that he wasn't really physically weak. It was just an effect of the trauma, and with time, will fade away. He wasn't sure if he trusted her words, because… even now, to this day…

He felt _physically cured_ , but still _mentally weak_.

Maybe that was why he couldn't socialise with others like he used to. By "socialising," he meant "actually getting to know the person he was talking to." If anyone tried to get close to him, he'd just freak out and distance himself. Like Sayuri had said, it was just a traumatic habit.

He just wasn't ready, and that—he hated to admit this—was the sole reason why Guren must be rejecting his requests to join the Extermination Unit.

Because he still couldn't make a friend.

 _Well,_ Mika thought glumly, lying on the rooftop on his back, his journal held up high, _at least Guren's got his priorities straight._

Because after all, it was true that on the battlefield, protecting one another and fighting together as comrades were more important than sheer knowledge.

Mika would know. Because he failed to protect his loved ones. Akane, Yuu… the kids… It didn't matter how much he knew; in the end, he didn't protect enough, and didn't fight enough.

So, with all of the rejections he had been getting from Guren and having to cope with being alone at school, he managed to keep himself sane by investing in a journal. He also liked the idea of getting a diary, thinking he could write some letters to Yuu, but it was too unbearable and sorrowful for him.

 _Why can't Guren count my journal as a friend?_ he thought. The idea of his journal being his friend was maybe laughable to people—and would probably cause Guren to send him overseas to check if he was mentally right in the head—but it was true. This leather-bounded book was his friend.

He could be himself. Say all his deepest secrets… worries, fears, thoughts.

But it didn't matter, because Stupid Guren wanted a _real_ , live, talking human being.

And only when Mika finally made friends with a real, live, talking human being, would he then be accepted into the Extermination Unit.

Oh, the complications of life…

The school bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, and the blond-haired boy got up.

" _Idiot! Who told you to get those flavours?!"_ someone yelled, and Mika, curious, looked down from the rooftop.

Some distance away, at the entrance of the school, were four Shibuya High male students.

Mika squinted his eyes.

Three of them were all crowding around the fourth one, who had fallen to the ground, snacks and juice cans surrounding him.

 _Looks like he's being bullied_ , Mika thought to himself slowly, watching the scene.

"P-please don't hurt me…" the brown-haired boy pleaded.

One guy stepped forward, and Mika eyed him up and down: shirt not tucked in, coat unbuttoned, spiked hair that made him look like some half-pineapple. The other two guys were dressed similarly.

"Delinquents," the Hyakuya muttered in disapproval as the pineapple-haired guy spoke.

" _Hurt?_ Come on, Yoichi, I was just simply asking why you bought the wrong flavours. We're friends, right?" he said in a rough voice.

"W-well…" Yoichi looked very tense as the guy advanced on him.

"Right? So go back and buy the proper drinks!" There was a loud smack.

Mika cringed, hearing the boy named Yoichi letting out a yelp of pain as the pineapple-guy kicked at his shoulder, the other two delinquents standing by and sniggering.

 _Should I do something?_ Mika thought, seeing Yoichi being forced to pick up the snacks and juice cans. _I don't think those guys are his friends at all…_

"Uh oh~ I don't think you should be standing there, you know~" A singsong voice spoke.

The blond-haired human turned around cautiously to see whoever was on the rooftop with him.

He was surprised to see an—would "short" be considered rude?—average height girl skipping joyfully towards him, sunlight dancing on her Shibuya High uniform.

"Pardon?" he asked, his eyes travelling briefly to her violet-coloured hair and then her overall petite figure. If it wasn't for the uniform, he would've guessed her to be ten—maybe eleven, just to be nice.

"Aren't you going to go help him?" she asked, standing in a military-like stance with both hands behind her back. She was nodding in Yoichi's direction.

Mikaela was confused. He had considered helping Yoichi on his own terms, but why was she urging him to go help?

"As a Sergeant of the Imperial Demon Army, I'm sure you can easily manage breaking up a conflict as small as this. Or would you prefer if I do it instead?" he asked quietly.

"Oh~ so you already know who I am! My, my, I must be popular." She cupped her face in her hands in mock embarrassment.

Mika just blinked, unsure of how to react at this particular reply. He only knew who she was because Sayuri was his Supervisor, and the Second Lieutenant had an alarming habit of breaking out into random stories about the people she'd worked with whenever she grew bored. And just through that, Mika conveniently learned everything about the Army in under a week. Sayuri didn't go into too much depth about how the Army worked, but he did his own research. After all, he had to know what he was getting himself into.

"Feel free to introduce yourself anyway," he said. "For all I know, I could be wrong." _Just like the time where I thought Yuu and everyone else would be able to escape… No, don't think about that, Mika…_ He grimaced a little as the girl replied.

And very cheerfully at that.

"My name is Shinoa Hīragi~" she said. "I came here to deliver a personal message from the Lieutenant Colonel. Please do read it." She passed him some crumpled-up paper, and Mikaela had no trouble recognizing Guren's strangely-neat handwriting.

"I think I'll read it after," Mika murmured, when a sudden yell erupted; two of the delinquents had Yoichi in a painful headlock.

He headed towards the exit of the rooftop, Shinoa ah-ing in understanding at his sudden departure.

"By the way, I also happen to be your Supervisor," she added at the very last minute, following him down the staircase.

 _What._

 _Supervisor?!_

This came as such a huge shock that the blond-haired Hyakuya almost tripped down the stairs.

He already had Sayuri as his Supervisor; now Guren wanted to go and add a short, _really-needs-to-work-on-her-acting-skills_ Sergeant to the list?

He was so shocked that all he could do was just blink and make his way out onto the campus of Shibuya High.

"I heard from Lieutenant Guren that you saw your family being murdered," she went on, still following him, "and that's why you have trouble socialising with people, because you're scared to lose them again. That explains why you can't bring yourself to make friends, have a girlfriend, or be part of a team."

Huh. Weren't they all such true words?

"You know," he turned around and began, careful to phrase his words because he _was_ talking to a Sergeant, "you remind me of myself."

Shinoa's poker-faced expression twisted in surprise.

Mikaela took a deep breath. This was going to bring back some memories.

"I had a friend who was very stubborn. He wanted to prove that vampires could be defeated by humans. At first, I didn't believe him, and I told him that he was being unrealistic."

Mika paused, his blue eyes on the Hīragi's mahogany ones.

"Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?" he said quietly. "You claim that I'm like this because of those reasons, and conclude that I'm unable to get along with others. Maybe you're right, but have you ever thought that your assumptions could be wrong?"

He hoped he didn't go too far, because he'll be pretty damn screwed if Guren found out that he talked back to a Sergeant of the Army.

Mikaela gave a tiny smile.

"I don't think you should underestimate anyone, especially me," he murmured, turning away and resuming his walk. "For all you know, there's a whole new different way of looking at certain things."

* * *

"Hey, you've got to be kidding me!"

Yoichi Saotome flinched at the angry yell.

"I-I'm sorry," he said for what sounded like the umpteenth time. "I really don't have any more money…"

"This is a joke, right?" Satoshi Yamanaka cracked his knuckles in such a nasty way that Yoichi had no idea how his bones were still intact. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Come on, Yama, stop scaring the kid," Yuji demanded. "Class started a long time ago, you'd better hurry up and attend before it ends."

Yoichi gulped as Yamanaka shot back a retort at his friend.

What had he gotten himself into?! This was terrible, all he wanted was to just ask Yamanaka about the Moon Demon Squad; how did things turn into this?!

If only someone would save him…

His thoughts seemed to show on his face, because as his bully turned around, he grinned.

"Oh, Yoichi, what's that look? You hoping your knight in shining armour would come and save your ass in this mess?" Yamanaka cracked his neck this time, prepping up for whatever was coming next.

"I guess that'll be me," a new voice spoke.

"H-huh…?" Yoichi turned his head around in complete confusion to see a somewhat tall, blond-haired boy walking towards the group, a short, amused-looking girl following his trail.

He instantly gulped again.

This guy was _scarier_ than Yamanaka! The juice cans trembled slightly in his arms as his terrified eyes locked contact with the new guy's blue ones. They were almost covered by his blond bangs, but Yoichi could see the self-possessed nature this guy had just by looking at the visible parts of his orbs.

W-wait. Did he just say that he was his _knight in shining armour?_

"Who are you?" Yamanaka inquired rudely at the blond-haired student, who ignored him and chose to focus on the Saotome instead.

 _I-is he looking at me?_

Yoichi slowly backed away. Last time he checked, he definitely had no one else after his head—and this guy _definitely_ looked like he shouldn't be messed with—

But the newcomer's intimidating nature relaxed into that of a bright, cheerful, older-brother type as he gave a big happy smile.

"Yoichi! You had me worried! Goodness, where have you been?" he said, walking forward, the girl behind him holding her hands to her face as if trying to hide her laughter.

"E-eh?" Was he being pulled? Yoichi blinked as he realised his "knight" was dragging him away by the arm, causing Yamanaka and Yuji to look utterly lost.

"Come on, we're late for class! Shinoa, what are you doing? Let's go!"

The girl named Shinoa giggled to herself as if enjoying a private joke, and followed them.

The bewildered boy looked over his shoulder to see Yamanaka scowling and Yuji scratching his head. He did not understand what in the world just happened. Did he just get saved? And by a random stranger too… Yoichi gulped, trying to take in his rescuer's full appearance.

"That was a pretty good job well done," Shinoa chimed, once they were out of sight. "You handled the situation without anyone getting harmed."

The blond-haired boy let go of his arm.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice suddenly less enthusiastic and neutral. It was such a big transition that Yoichi just stared at him for several moments before replying.

"Oh, yes! Um, you two are?" He scratched his cheek, feeling embarrassed as they seemed to know his name.

"Mine's Shinoa~" said the replier, still looking amused. She gave him a peace-sign, adding, "And this guy is Mikaela Hyakuya."

"T-thank you very much, Hyakuya-kun!" Yoichi gave a deep, grateful bow to his saviour.

Mikaela spoke, and Yoichi couldn't help but notice how there was an older-brother like tone in his soft voice.

"Mika is fine, but more importantly, is your shoulder alright?" His words seemed to be carefully phrased, making Yoichi wonder if he was restraining himself or something.

 _Huh? How did he know about my shoulder_ …

"Yes!" Yoichi informed him hastily. "I'm really sorry to have dragged you both into my problems," he added, looking crestfallen. "I just wanted to ask Yamanaka-kun for a favour, so that's why I hung out with his group."

Shinoa gave an "ah" of understanding, tapping her chin in thoughtfulness. Mika, however, was frowning.

"Yamanaka? Pineapple Guy you mean?"

Yoichi blinked as Shinoa coughed.

"Yes, that's him! You see…" the Saotome scratched his head. "I, um, failed the admission test for the Imperial Demon Army, but I _really_ want to join, and I've been hearing rumours that Yamanaka-kun has been offered to join the famous Moon Demon Squad, which is part of the Vampire Extermination Unit…"

"You want to join the Extermination Unit?" Shinoa asked him.

"T…" The juice cans in his arms shook again.

 _Calm down, Yoichi…_

"To avenge my sister," he mumbled, shifting his feet around in awkwardness.

"Revenge?" Mika asked.

"Yes," the Saotome replied. His eyes started to burn for some reason, and he felt the need to look down onto the ground. "My sister was killed by vampires trying to protect me… I was paralysed with fear…"

He slowly looked up to see Shinoa's respectful expression and Mika's sorrowful one.

"That's why, I can't forgive myself… for not trying to save her. That's why—"

Yoichi stopped talking; Mikaela had pressed a finger to his lips, supposedly telling him to be quiet. Even Shinoa looked amazed.

"You shouldn't be talking that way, Yoichi. I'm not going to say that what you did was right, because what matters more is whether you want to do this or not." Mika paused. "Would your sister want you to avenge her death? I wouldn't know. But I can tell you that the Extermination Unit is no joke, and it's down to you to decide if you're truly capable of joining."

Yoichi was speechless. It was the first time that anyone had ever given him advice. Most people often told him that he was too cowardly and a weakling to join the Moon Demon Squad, but at last, there was someone who understood…

He wasn't dumb. He knew the consequences of joining the Extermination Unit. Yes, it was dangerous, and yes, he knew he was weak. But he was determined to push himself to his limits and join anyway, because it was just as Mika had stated: it was his decision, and no one else's.

He was about to open his mouth to say a thank you to Mika, but then—

An explosion suddenly erupted from a classroom in the building of Shibuya High, and the three of them turned around in bewilderment to see chairs and desks falling out of the window, students and teachers yelling in the chaotic hallways.

"W-what's going on?!" Yoichi dropped the juice cans in utter shock, sirens blaring all over the place as Shinoa let out a strained gasp.

" _Emergency warning! Emergency warning! All students and staff! A vampire has just broke out of a Vivisection Laboratory close to the school!"_

"Impossible!" Shinoa hissed, dropping her innocent-schoolgirl image as they all saw yelling students rushing out. "What's a vampire doing here?!"

Yoichi's legs seemed to be made of jelly as the speaker on the intercom yelled again. He turned to glance at Mika, but there was an odd expression on the Hyakuya's face.

" _All students and staff must evacuate at once! Drinking human blood will restore it's vampiric power, so don't approach it!"_

"You two leave the school right now!" Shinoa commanded to the two boys in a powerful voice, her eyes ablaze with incredulous rage. "I'm going to ask for the help of the Moo— _hey! Where are you going?!_ " She let out a screech as Mikaela suddenly took off.

And in the direction of the Shibuya High building! Yoichi threw his hands over his head in horror. Where was he going!? That was where the vampire is!

" _Mika-kun!"_ he bellowed, as Shinoa made a "tch" sound in annoyance.

"That idiot!"

* * *

He ran up the staircase of the chaotic building, ignoring the screaming people who were trying to escape. A million things were replaying in his mind: Yuu, the vampires, Ferid… finally, just _finally_ , after four long years…

A teacher caught sight of him and literally screamed with madness.

" _Hyakuya, what are you doing_?!" Mika recognized his terrified homeroom teacher. _"Get out of here immediately, my class has just been attacked!"_

"'Then please get out of here safely!" Mika rushed past him, making his way towards where the vampire was located. He barely heard his teacher screaming his name.

 _Bang!_ The door of his classroom opened loudly, and he charged in, scanning the room feverishly, his heart pounding so loud that he was surprised he wasn't deaf yet.

His eyes traveled toward the room to see a Shibuya High student unconscious on the teacher's desk. And there, _right there_ , was the monster he was searching for. His eyes drifted upward to lock contact with the female vampire's red ones.

She was extremely white, her skin peeling in several areas. Her hair was long and dirty, stained with faint pink, and she seemed to be moaning in happiness, because her fangs were edging closer and closer towards her unconscious victim's fresh and delicate neck.

And the sight of this _disgusting_ scene caused Mika's blood to boil, and his madness to go off.

 _This is why I hate vampires… killing and drinking everyone they want…_

He did not care how underweight, starving, or bloodthirsty it looked—screw all that—

Because it was going to die anyway.

What did Guren say he was again? Too weak to fight on the battlefield?

He snatched a nearby broomstick as a weapon—a choice that would cause Guren to go bald because of his stupidity— eyes widening a little when he saw a scared-looking Yamanaka hiding under a desk.

"Vampire," he commanded loudly as he moved the broomstick in a sword-like stance, and the creature took notice of him, removing her gaze from her delicious living dinner.

Her sharp, intensely annoyed eyes narrowed, and she stood up on the desk.

Yamanaka let out a tiny whimper, terrified of what was going to happen next, but Mika wasn't fazed at all. The twelve-year-old him would've been pissing in his pants, but everything was different now.

He worked his ass off all these four years just for one of these moments. And he'd be damned if he couldn't kill a vampire —a tiny one at that—now.

Mika stormed right towards the desk, his broomstick held out at a sharp angle. Yamanaka screamed at his sudden movement and shrank into a corner, as the vampire let out a rage of fury and threw a chair, causing Mika to stop mid-run.

The chair went flying right past Mikaela with such force that he felt his cheek slashing open to reveal a cut.

Damn… he had forgotten how truly fast and powerful vampires were!

A weak moan came from the unconscious girl on the desk, and Mika gasped.

" _Hey!_ Take her and get out!" he yelled to Yamanaka, who seemed to be paralysed. "You're a candidate of the Army, aren't you!? _Hurry!"_

"I-i-it was a lie!" Yamanaka said hastily. "I thought it would be a good rumour to scare people, but I can't do anything against a vampire!"

" _What?!"_ Mikaela couldn't believe this; what dumbass would choose to lie about something that concerned the lives of thousands of people? He was so pissed by this discovery that he scarcely heard the vampire's words.

"You livestock," she called in a hoarse, pained voice. A leg pole of a desk was in her dirty hands. _"Get out of my way now, or I'll drink your blood to the very last drop!"_

"You sure?" Mika muttered quietly. He re-positioned his broomstick. "My blood might be a bit too delicious for your ugly digestion system to handle."

His eyes seemed to lose focus, and he briefly saw the image of Ferid laughing before him.

And it was enough to send him slamming the broomstick right into the tiny arm of the vampire in unforgiving rage.

Her cut off pale arm went zooming into the air, and she burst off at the speed of light to retrieve it.

" _As if I'd let you!"_ Mikaela was already two steps ahead of her. He threw his stick upwards at the ceiling, and a chandelier came crashing down, its wires fasting itself around the nook of the broomstick, allowing Mika to swing it in the direction of the vampire.

Yamanaka screamed and bustled out of his hiding spot as the chandelier soared and crashed onto the vampire with an awful sound.

Mika stood there with baited breath, waiting to see if she was dead or not.

The door of the classroom threw open, and Mika's eyes widen to find Yoichi stopping dead at the wrecked scene.

"Yoichi, what ar—GET OUT OF THERE!" the Hyakuya cried, as he saw a blur escaping from under the rubble.

"W-wh—?" Yoichi's face lost colour as the bloody vampire's hands enclosed themselves around his throat.

"That hurt," the vampire hissed to Mika, glass shards poking out of her skin, her wounds slowly healing. She tightened her grip on Yoichi, who choked. "I'm going to kill him and drink his blood, and once I recover my powers, you'll be no match for me."

 _What to do… what to do…?!_ Mika seemed to be hyperventilating. Shit… so this is what happens when he tried to do everything by himself… Guren was right after all…

"M-Mika-kun," Yoichi choked, trying to tear away the vampire's sharp nails, "p-please hurry and go… It's not worth saving a weakling like me…"

The Hyakuya stared, his hands shaking on his broom because he didn't know what to do.

 _["Leave me damn it, hurry up and go!"]_

Mikaela clenched his teeth. No more. No more of this! He wasn't going to let Yoichi die, just like he let Yuu did! He rushed forward, his broomstick halfway through the air when—

Yoichi went smashing into the window, the vampire descending downwards with him.

"W-what are you doing!?" Yamanaka stared in horror as Mika jumped out after them.

He hit the grassy ground and fell with such a terrible impact that he felt his spine rattling—but that didn't matter. Gripping the handle of his broom tightly, he got up.

"Yoichi!" he yelled, his voice hoarse. A few feet away, the Saotome was breathing unevenly as the vampire sat on top of him, her head leaning in closer and closer.

Mikaela sprinted towards the vampire with every bit of life left in him, and shoved her right off of Yoichi.

"Die!" he screamed, thrusting the broomstick right into her very heart, but it didn't seem to do anything because a second later, she had pinned him right down into the earth just as she did to Yoichi, her hands now tightly around his throat.

"Shit!" Mika cursed, seeing his broom sticking through the vampire's chest.

"Too bad," sneered the vampire. "You would've really killed me if you'd pierced me through the head instead. Thanks to you, I'll be able to drink your blood so that I can regain my powers and leave before the Moon Demon Squad gets he—"

She let out a gasp—so did Mikaela—as a black katana pierced right through her body, and unlike Mika's broomstick, the vampire's body was smoking from the weapon.

"Sorry, were you talking about me?" A voice that Mika hadn't heard in four years spoke.

 _Guren_ … ? Mika was speechless, seeing the unchanged dark hair and towering figure of the Lieutenant Colonel as the vampire hissed in anger.

" _You bastard!_ A cursed weapon?!" She tried to grab at her wounds, wondering why they weren't healing.

"Go to hell, vampire." Guren shoved his katana forward, and with a dying scream, the vampire blackened into ashes, her remains flying into the air and then fading away.

Guren… Mika stared, slowly sitting up. Guren… It can't be…

After four years, Stupid Guren had decided to show his face _now?_

"Speaking of hell," Guren finally noticed him. "What the hell are you thinking? Did you _seriously_ think you could kill vampires with a broomstick?"

"You didn't give me any weapons that would actually work on vampires, so what choice did I have?" Mika muttered, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I have to admit, you did a pretty good job this time around, kid. You protected your school buddies." Guren gave him one of his Guren smiles. "Although that guy over there seems to be out cold."

"Yoichi…" Mikaela staggered as he got up, making his way towards the unconscious Saotome. But before he even reached Yoichi, he fell to the ground.

And remembered nothing more.

* * *

"Seriously, I'll be crazy if I put a kid who fought with a damn broomstick in the Squad." Was that Guren's voice?

"You never know~ he could actually be really good at cleaning~" And… Shinoa?

"Your jokes are terrible. Please stop before I kill myself."

"But you promised him, didn't you? That you'll let him in the Unit once he made a friend?"

There was the sound of a door opening abruptly.

"Is Mika-kun alright?!" A worried voice burst out. Yoichi…?

"Oh, Yoichi, perfect timing~ I was just telling the Colonel here—you're friends with Mika, correct?"

"Y-yes, how come?"

"Oh~ did you hear that, Guren~? Looks like you have to keep your promise~"

"You're kidding me, right?"

* * *

" _Hey, Mika. Looks like you finally made a friend, huh?"_

" _Y-Yuu…?"_

" _But why did it take you so long? I mean, you were always so good at getting along with others."_

 _There was a pause._

" _And y'know, I really liked seeing that happy side of you."_

* * *

Mikaela woke up quietly, his hands sliding over the cool surface of the hospital bed he was so familiar with. He was glad he pretended to be asleep and eavesdropped while the others were talking, because there were several things he found odd.

Why did Guren Ichinose appointed Shinoa Hīragi as his Supervisor? What was the purpose of it? And why…

Mika's blue eyes traveled over to Yoichi, who was dressed in the same hospital clothes and was asleep beside the bed, no doubt having fallen asleep while looking after him.

Yoichi had called him a friend…

"Why?" he said softly to the asleep brown-haired boy. "I don't deserve your friendship…"

"Hnn?"

Oops.

"Mika-kun?" Yoichi raised his head. His olive-colored eyes—similar to Yuu's, except they were more gentle—popped wide open. "Mika-kun! Are you all right?" Tears instantly flooded in his orbs—

"I'm all right, don't worry!" Mika said in panic, trying to stop the waterfalls.

Yoichi wiped his tears. "That's a relief… Thank you so much," the Saotome bowed his head, "for saving me… and also, for your words before the vampire attack," he added, displaying his habit of scratching his cheek whenever he grew embarrassed.

"No, thank you."

"Huh? For what?"

"Nothing~" Mika replied with an almost mischievous smile, causing Yoichi to cock his head to the side in confusion.

"Oh, you're awake?" Shinoa's voice carried itself into the room as she walked in. She was holding a set of attire which she placed on the blanket. "Then here's your uniform. Since you managed to make a friend, starting today, you're a member of the Vampire Extermination Unit," she said, a smile on her face. "Which also means that we'll all be working together."

Mika blinked as Yoichi got up excitedly from his chair and placed his hand on top of Shinoa's. The two of them glanced expectedly at the Hyakuya.

"Come on, Mika-kun!" Yoichi nodded his head, as Shinoa gave him an amused look.

He looked down at his hand, then up at the faces of his smiling—was it okay to say this?— comrades.

 _["But one day… will I step over my fears, and show that happy side of me again?"]_

Mikaela smiled, and placed his own hand on top of theirs.

 _["Sure you can, idiot. Because… "]_

"I'm looking forward to working with you."

 ** _["You're Mika."]_**


	3. Illusions: Because Reality is Unkind

**[Disclaimer]** I don't own Seraph of the End!

 **I.**

 **Am.**

 **So.**

 **Sorry.**

 **Please.**

 **Don't.**

 **Kill.**

 **Me.**

* * *

 **[Illusions: Because Reality is Unkind]**

 _ **"It's because... I'm a genius."**_

* * *

He had believed that in this world, people were all the same. They had identical morals, values, and beliefs. No matter where he went, everyone plastered the same smile upon their faces. Smiles that terrified him, because he knew, that under those wide grins, were silent screams of madness, angst, and most significantly, evil. That he knew, in those wide, shaking eyes, were silent calls for help, for light to kill the darkness.

It had touched his soul deeply, and at only eight years old, he was doing all he could to be the kindest and most understanding individual at the Hyakuya Orphanage. Of course, at that time, he met his family and believed that they would all be together…

* * *

 _ **[**_ " _ **Mika."]**_

He sat up so abruptly that he heard a crack coming from the left side of his neck as he groaned in pain, feeling his hand glide over the cold surface of the faucet.

He had fallen asleep washing his face, again.

A noise of anger sliced through the silence in the washroom.

" _Cut it out_ _—!"_ he gritted his teeth as he felt the aftershock of pain ripple from his head toward the rest of his body.

Because no matter how many times he tried to splash water onto himself, it will never, ever, wash away his sins.

Ever.

* * *

" _I finally did it. After all that work, Guren finally let me into the Vampire Extermination Unit, and I'm now a member of the Moon Demon Squad. I guess I am a bit nervous but this is it. This is the first step! Yoichi has also joined, which is awesome, but I think it's more because Guren said he was the first friend I made… But I think Yoichi is really strong regardless. For now, I'll have to wait and see. I'm finally making progress!"_

"Oops!" Mikaela dropped his pen, as it rolled down the staircase of Second Shibuya High. He was writing his diary entry with such a giddy frenzy that in his excitement, his pen decided to take the chance to escape, no doubt in pursuit of finding its fated lover—a pencil probably—somewhere on the floor.

The blond-haired Hyakuya blinked, seeing a pencil suddenly drop at his feet.

" _U-um, Hyakuya-san…was it? I wanted to thank you for saving me from that vampire!"_

Mikaela stared. No way. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be, right? His blue eyes lost themselves in the realm called confusion.

 _"I like you! I've written down my feelings for you in this letter. Please read it!_ "

 _What is this sorcery…_ Mika absentmindedly continued to scan the floor, and a few feet away, there laid his pen. He burst forward to pick it up, and then touched the pen with the pencil, excitedly waiting for something to happen, now that the Fated Pen Lovers were united.

There was a silence as he heard a small sob and there was a whip of white blur.

"'Huh—?" he blinked, as an envelope suddenly stopped in front of his face, having flown in the air. As his eyes finally escaped the realm of confusion and entered the real world, he saw his name on the front, written in bright colors and squiggly hearts.

 _A letter for me… Who's it from?_ Mika wandered up the stairs to the rooftop. No one had ever written a letter for him before—Guren _most definitely_ excluded. As Mika advanced up the stairs, an ash-haired female caught sight of him. He blinked again, as tears suddenly flooded her eyes and she took off at a run past him.

He scratched his head, looking utterly confused.

"Well, well, well~!" Mikaela dropped the letter as if he had been electrocuted, and grimaced, seeing the face of his—dare he should say this?—second least favourite person, Shinoa Hīragi. "The hero who saved the school from a vampire has become pretty popular!" she chimed, stopping a few distance away from him and smiling. "Already accepting lovers and breaking hearts!"

Mika just blinked, causing Shinoa's probably-not-genuine smile to lower a crack.

 _Oh_. It didn't take long for the Hyakuya to connect the two pieces together.

"Wow! Is that a new hairstyle you have going on there?" she asked, that rather annoying smile of hers widening, underlining some sort of mischief she was clearly planning in mind. "You seem to be going for a new trend," she continued on, eyeing Mika's depressing, flat hair. "Surely you did not make that girl cry _too much_?"

"Well, I did, so surely you'll be there to comfort her?" Mika bluntly shot back, a dull feeling flowing through him. Sure enough, the pencil had the name "Yuko" written in the same font as the letter.

"Oh, how funny!" her tiny head knocked back as she started laughing. "You must be a virgin, Mika-san."

The blue-eyed teen merely frowned, seeing no connection between a woman's tears and a man's virginity.

"No," he said seriously, and Shinoa stopped laughing. "I… really did make her cry…"

He avoided the mahogany eyes as a devious grin emerged.

"Oho. So I see. Well, Mika-san~ you'd better not repeat the same mistake again! Virginity is a bad thing, you know!"

Amongst his abilities, Mika was supremely proud of having above average memory. It was thanks to this skill that he was able to still recount the memories of Yuu and the others in vivid detail. He soon found his good memorization skills coming in handy as he started Second Shibuya High. And—he eyed his Supervisor up and down—there was one fact he knew for sure.

Shinoa Hiragi first stepped into this school only a mere two weeks ago. However—

She was registered regularly in her first year, just as like any other student.

"Hm," said Mikaela, having finished remembering her name being listed in the registrar office. "So, enlighten me. I suppose promoting the idea of sexual intercourse will help aid in saving the world?"

His tiny Supervisor beamed.

"Why don't you enlighten me, then? It sounds like you're on the right track."

"I doubt you want to take enlightenment from someone who tried to promote intercourse with two non-living sticks," Mika deadpanned, still playing with the pencil and pen.

There was just silence.

"Anyway," Mika hurried on, as Shinoa's lips started to unfurl—oh no, her annoying waves of guffaws—"so because the human population is dying out, the world is becoming unsafe for us due to the vampires and monsters taking reign, right?"

The violet-haired teen burst out laughing.

"Right…?" Mika said again impatiently, waiting for Shinoa to quit chortling.

"Indeed!" his boss straightened herself up. "The Japanese Imperial Demon Army encourages sexual affairs to aid in procreation so that our generation can fight for supremacy! Have kids for the sake of the Imperial Demon Army! Yes, yes, yes!"

Mika sighed, watching Shinoa ravishing in passion and murmuring something about sexual illicit relationships.

He pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that was still in the pocket of his trousers, and blinked, remembering the note Guren wrote for him.

"By the way," he spoke up, and Shinoa turned his attention to him, "since I'm a member of the Extermination Unit, is it alright if I remain at this school?"

His face paled, seeing the boisterous words that were written on the poor parchment. Now he knew why Guren was single.

Shinoa finally blinked in confusion, seeing Mika hastily pocketing the note. "That amazes me. I was under the assumption that you'd be delighted to quit the school."

"Perhaps so," her inferior replied, "but being on both sides of different perspectives is actually a good way to receive insight. I wouldn't like to purely be on the battlefield at all times. There are things worth learning about anywhere."

"Is that so?" the Hiragi merely gave a small smile. It was rather stiff in Mika's opinion. "But has it ever crossed your mind that since you are a participant in this war, even time is a luxury itself?"

Shinoa paused.

"On the battlefield, there are people who die. Innocent citizens. Mothers and young children. And" —she looked at him straight in the eye—"your own teammates. While you believe it is a good idea to switch back and forth between two lives that are so drastically different, to other people, they may view it otherwise."

She gave another short smile as Mika merely paid attention, no emotion showing on his face. "But, it is up to Guren, after all!" she claimed brightly, now breaking up the serious atmosphere. "If you have any complaints concerning your enrollment here—heck, even concerns for virginity problems, just complain to the Colonel!"

"As if," Mika muttered under his breath, reminding himself to never bring up his virginity concerns to Stupid Guren.

"However, now we can finally start training!" his Supervisor turned to face him, and the Hyakuya realized that there was quite a large distance between them.

A fighting distance, that is.

Something like a wicked grin flashed across his face, but it quickly evaporated.

"It was about time," Mika stated, now watching Shinoa very carefully and cautiously.

"Guren told me you're an impatient one," she replied, cocking her head to the side. She smiled, twirling a black object in her hand.

 _What the..._ Mikaela's eyes dilated in extreme shock.

A massive storm of wind slammed across his face, as a horrendous shadow hovered above his Supervisor.

The white eyes of the Demon pierced through Mika's shaking ones. It blocked the entire sun from the sky, causing the sunny day to appear grey and miserable.

Which was excellent, in Mika's opinion. It was finally time to face what _truly happens_ in the real world, where sunshines don't exist for long.

"N-not bad," he commented, trying to move his bangs out of the way so that he could see her weapon in more detail.

 _It looks powerful... so this... this is what the Extermination Unit uses..._ Mika had to take a few steps back, feeling the hot aura that was whisking his way and begging him to take off his clothes.

Shinoa grinned, seeing his shocked yet envious eyes. "This is the Demon I formed a Contract with," she said, waving her arm at her beloved partner. "Shi."

Mikaela only narrowed his eyes very slightly, as the Demon breathed, sending a wave of hot air that blew into his face. He staggered a bit, noticing the tiny amount of murderous intent It possessed.

"Shi?" he repeated, watching Shinoa wave around her black, glistening scythe as if it were a lollipop.

Mika grimaced, now regretting all the times where he had mentally insulted and verbally disrespected his Supervisor: the size of that scythe could probably rip apart a building in seconds—and possibly send his head smashing into bloody pieces of broken skull.

He had to be careful, knowing full well that whatever the hell happens to him, Guren would _most definitely_ never pay his hospital bill ever again.

"Well, it is short for Shikama Douji," said Shinoa. She sneered. "You thought lightly of me the first time we met, haven't you? Well, this is proof that I am a member of the Vampire Extermination Unit."

 _So this is what Sayuri and Guren were talking about..._ Mika eyed her weapon with great interest. He made a mental note to never anger Shinoa. "That's a Cursed Gear?"

"Correct!" More waves of heat and dark oozing shadows engulfed around its owner. "But you have to remember: you can't kill vampires alone."

Was that an insult? The Hyakuya's blue orbs narrowed once more as he saw Shinoa's lips curling into a small smile. Of course—Mikaela wasn't stupid. Working in a team would surely bring more positive and life-changing results. Of course he would know that. After all, he was the one who worked alone and when the time came to convert his plan into action, the only results he yielded were death.

A flash of anger shot across his eyes.

Shinoa stopped smiling. "Well," she said, and Mikaela hastily composed himself. "You're not much of a fighter, are you? I heard you're always being hospitalized."

"That was clearly in the past."

"Ah, please." That annoying smirk was back. "You'd think humans here can simply brush away certain facts purely because events happened in the past. Wrong, Mika-san~! It isn't in our nature to forgive so easily," Shinoa said in a low voice.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Mikaela whispered, scanning the rooftop for something he could use. His wrapped his hand around the pen and the pencil, and continued to listen to his Supervisor, her rigid stare and stance making it clear she was anticipating a battle.

Whether it was a battle of strength or will or individual acceptance, he had no idea; it was time to find out.

"You know, Mika"—the abandonment of the formality in his name was fast—"ever since you said those words that day, I can't help but think you're a rather interesting guy. You see, for someone like me to be in a position where my inferiors insult me, whether intentionally or not, that upsets me." Shinoa's eyes were lowering.

"Words that day?" Flashbacks were playing in his mind. "Oh. When I said you could be wrong about me?" he asked, wondering why a Sergeant of the Imperial Demon Army would even be provoked by such a trivial matter.

"Of course!" Shinoa beamed—for what reason, Mika had no idea, either. "Now show me what you're made of then!"

 _"W-wait!"_ Mikaela sprinted out of the way, cursing as the pen and pencil slipped to the ground. The enormous demon chased after him, its shadows shrieking to mercilessly eat him up—

 _Is she trying to seriously kill me?!_ he looked over his shoulder frantically, seeing his opponent smiling. He focused on her scythe, which was thrust forward—

He snatched onto a wire of the fence which barricaded the rooftop, and yanked hard, turning sideways to avoid a shadowy arm that lunged for him, mirroring the commands of the scythe.

—which was _crazy fast_ —he only had a brief view of the sky before he spun his body around.

Panting, Mika straightened up and faced the Shikama, his bleeding hand holding the long wire like a wand.

 _"Seriously?!"_

He caught sight of Shinoa bursting into laughter far away and gritted his teeth.

"What"s so funny?!" he shouted, demanding to know the answer as to why she was practically on all fours clutching her stomach. Her scythe fell to the ground and deactivated, causing her Demon to vanish.

Mika scowled, his new-found respect for his Supervisor fading in an instant.

"Can you please stop laughing?" he said, annoyed at how quickly the battle ended, but more so at the fact that the fence now had a large hole.

"Ah, but of course~" Shinoa straightened up, traces of her laughter still swimming on her lips. "Good work, Mika!" she positioned her hands behind her back and beamed at him, making it appear as if he was a diligent pupil about to receive an award.

She chortled once again at his bemused and unhappy expression. "Don't be like that! I was just testing you. I'm not that reckless to let you attack without a proper weapon. _Oh don't look so annoyed!_ " she pleaded jokingly, seeing him scowl. "You see, I always wondered why you never carried a normal weapon with you in the first place."

Mika frowned, wiping his sweaty forehead.

"Like a katana or something?"

"Yes," Shinoa replied. "Generally, Extermination Unit members require some training with a weapon that compliments their needs. So it is to say that most members are experienced in fighting with some sort of tool. You, however, don't seem to carry anything. In fact, you are always unarmed."

Her words were indeed true. Because of his physical condition, Guren did not think he was capable of using regular weapons and never enlisted him in the Imperial Demon Army. Sayuri, on occasions, attempted to train him, but the expectations weren't met; he had poor hand coordination with a sword, and he was simply fidgety with a bow and arrow.

"I've always been rather bad in terms of combat," Mika admittedly, looking crestfallen. "I'm more of the agile type."

"That is true." Shinoa was still beaming. "But you have quick wits." She eyed the wire in his hand. "Your ability to instantaneously reply to your situation by taking on the defensive is truly admirable, if I admit myself."

"Not really," Mika murmured, twirling the wire.

"Well, maybe you'll see it one day. But if you haven't noticed, you didn't snatch the wire from the start in order to attack me." Shinoa's eyes were full of respect. "You're a defensive type, Mika."

"Uh..." Remembering the time he had grabbed the broom to kill a vampire, Mika sighed. _More like the reckless and illogical type..._

Still, although he was pleased to receive the opportunity to see a Cursed Gear in action, he could not help but wonder what Shinoa's true thoughts of him were.

 _"Mika-kun!"_ The rooftop door banged open and they turned to see Yoichi running toward them. His face was flushed and he appeared worried. "Help me!"

"Yoichi! What's wrong?" Mika saw Yamanaka and his two lackeys and immediately stepped forward.

"What do you want?" he demanded, Shinoa walking to his side.

"W-wait!" said Yamanaka, in a pleading tone which none of them clearly ever heard him use. He clasped his hands together in forgiveness.

"We heard that Saotome-san was selected to be part of the elite Vampire Extermination Unit! We just wanted to congratulate him and apologize for bullying him!" the other one implied, his partner nodding in agreement. "But more importantly, we want to be your underlings, so please, take us in!" They bowed their heads down.

Pineapple-Hair guy shot his head right back up.

"But!" he started loudly, making Mika jump, "you're Mikaela Hyakuya, right?! I'm Satoshi Yamanaka! You saved me from the vampire! I can't express my thanks enough!" he bowed repeatedly, causing the three Extermination members to blink in confusion.

"Are you? Well, you can start by shining my shoes." Mika slid his dirty sneakers forward to the astonished Yamanaka. He wasn't the only one. His lackeys, Yoichi and even Shinoa were all staring at him in disbelief.

"I'm just kidding," the blond-haired teen muttered lamely, scratching his head. "Please don't!" he added hastily, seeing the delinquent in front of him straightening up.

"It's not just that." Yamanaka was sweating and looked uneasy. "We're kind of in a pitch right now. We need your help."

"And you decided to come crying to the same guy you beat to a pulp?" Mika said coolly, as Yoichi gulped. "You do know that sounds kind of messed up, right?"

"Says the one who vows to kills vampires yet only carries a pen with him to defend his life," Shinoa coughed and said in a voice so low that only Mikaela heard her.

"I know we have no right to approach you after all we've done," Yamanaka said quickly, as Mika scowled and Shinoa smirked, "but our friend Yuuji went to the _Forbidden Area_ and never came back!"

 _Forbidden Area?_ Mika cast a glance at Yoichi who only gulped, just as lost as he was.

"Oh my." The smirk slid off Shinoa's face as if it were ink. "You've trespassed onto a Restricted Level One Military Area."

The Hyakuya felt sympathetic for Yamanaka, who cowered under the Sergeant's stare.

"W-we just wanted to test our courage!" he said hastily, gulping.

Shinoa sighed. "You're not the first." She fixed her hair as an ominous wind breezed through the vicinity. "However, those who trespass will be _severely_ punished. Your friend went and got himself arrested with a death penalty on his head."

"B-but surely you can help us?! You're members of the Vampire Extermination Unit, aren't you?" Yamanaka begged, his anxious face no longer showing any signs of his former delinquent self.

"Unfortunately for you, that's out of the question."

She paused.

" _Don't beg,_ " she hissed.

The hopeful expressions on the former delinquents face's slopped off instantly.

* * *

"Aren't you going to explain?" Mika asked quietly, as the three Demon Squad members walked casually in the corridors of Shibuya.

"Hmm? About what~?" Even in the midst of the noisy crowds, Mika could make out his Supervisor's fake cheery tone. He inwardly sighed. He could never figure out Shinoa Hiragi. Sayuri—and Guren for that matter, were quite easy to read.

"You seem to have a knack for knowledge so I was rather surprised," was all Shinoa said, Yoichi walking behind the group and looking uncomfortable at the not-so-friendly atmosphere between the Supervisor and her subordinate. "It's one of the Seven Wonders in the school," she finally answered, seeing how Mika did not bother to respond.

"The Seven Wonders? We have something like that?" the Saotome chipped in, as they turned a corner.

"Yep. _The Self-Playing Piano, The Moving Anatomical Model,_ and the _Forbidden Area_ , which is a place no one should ever enter."

"But isn't the _Forbidden Area_ simply a restricted area? Yuuji-kun went in there and never came out!"

"So it seems." Shinoa didn't appear apologetic nor sympathetic at all. "The truth is, however, the _Forbidden Area_ are training grounds for Extermination Unit members. Only people who have undergone training can enter the place and not become possessed by a demon."

 _That's quite odd._ Mikaela frowned. _If the Forbidden Area is restricted to all students at all times, it wouldn't make sense for a demon to reside there for so many years. In fact, the reason why Yuuji probably got trapped in there is because... someone awakened or activated the demon, causing the seal of the area to break._

His light-blue eyes followed the back of his small Supervisor, and he sworn he could have pictured a smirk growing on her lips.

"So... that means the training has begun." Mika stated, giving a side glance at Yoichi who blinked in confusion.

"Huh? What?" the brown-haired boy focused back and forth between his two teammates.

"Indeed." Shinoa stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Come with me."

* * *

She had lead them to the back of the building, and Mikaela could not help but feel foreboding with every step he took. They spent the journey in silence, and this uncomfortable tension did nothing but caused Mika to have flashbacks of Yuu dying. It was actually so traumatizing for him that, as they were walking up the stairs, he tripped and Yoichi had to frantically grab onto his arm.

"We are here," Shinoa declared, opening a rather rusty and worn down door, as Mika muttered words of gratitude to his friend.

Smells of grass and soil met Mika's nostrils as she lead the way inside. There were blackening spots of mold growing on the corners of the staircases, and debris that had decomposed were still stained and left around.

"Is this an underground temple?" Mika asked, seeing how the walls were shrinking and leading out to an isolated entrance far down below.

"It's said to be a temple, however, according to history, there used to be a hollow space below the city of Shibuya. It was designed to protect the city from floods. As time went on, the Extermination Unit chose this area for training usage," Shinoa answered. "But in actuality, the entire school itself is a training ground for the Unit."

"To test the students, I suppose..." the Hyakuya murmured, quickly grabbing onto Yoichi's shoulder as the latter forgot to go a step down.

"Correct. The Imperial Demon Army keeps demons underground. Students who enter the area either through force or will and have not become possessed by the murderous aura, are generally selected as Army candidates."

"B-but then that means..." Yoichi faltered, his expression shocked.

"Yes. The school is nothing more than a lab experiment conducted to achieve human supremacy." Shinoa's voice was still casual and light-heartened.

The blond-haired teen gritted his teeth slightly. The world had came to such extreme ends... vampires who experiment humans as livestock on one end, and humans who play selection for revenge on the other...

He wasn't sure if he liked how this whole Extermination Unit system operated. Yet, he had no choice. Both the Army and himself had the same goal: to kill the vampire race.

Although Mika did not like to admit it very much, Guren was a hundred times more stronger and quick-witted than he was. After all, he wasn't the Lieutenant Colonel for nothing.

He had told himself this was the first step.

"Well, there it is." the Hiragi waited as the two males stepped off the staircase and stared at the enormous isolated, iron-built entrance.

 _ **Restricted Area**_

 _ **Former Shibuya Underground Temple Entrance**_

Mika could not help but shiver. The vibe he was receiving was very unwelcoming and dark.

"Already starting to feel its aura from this far away?" Shinoa merely smirked, watching him as he scowled. "Only talented people selected from the Extermination Unit and those whose hearts were weakened by the demon can go beyond that door."

"So Yuuji-kun...!"

Mika had to praise the Saotome for being so calm and focused on his priority of saving Yuuji. He, on the other hand, was starting to feel the aura of the demon...

"He was not chosen by the Unit. It's highly likely he was lured here. In fact, his heart might have been devoured already," said Shinoa.

"But what happens when a demon devours a human's heart?" Yoichi wanted to know—Mikaela did not.

Shinoa stared at the door.

"They turn into beings worse than vampires themselves. Some form of demons that pry upon humans. And _that_ "—she faced the two—"is why members must go through difficult and challenging training, especially from a psychological perspective."

There was a smile.

"Today, I'll demonstrate to you how terrible a demon weapon can be. Isn't that exciting? You'll get to see it in real action."

Yoichi gulped, looking nervous. Mikaela mentally prepared himself for what was coming next.

He was not sure how he would react to a demon. Vampires, it was self-explanatory; he despised their very existence. Yet demons were on their own different level...

There were a crack as Shinoa pushed open the door, and the three of them walked inside at a slow pace, each step resounding with trepidation.

 _What the...!_ Mika's hand shot to his nose, as a rotting strong smell of blood overcame his senses. The room was almost black; he could not see much of anything.

Except for one thing.

Mikaela's light-blue eyes, which were blazing in the dark, flashed.

" _Wait!"_ Shinoa screeched, as he jumped off the railing.

* * *

He was flying down so fast that he hit the ground with a deafening crunch and went rigid on the cold, rough surface. Mika let out yells of pain as his left leg went completely numb, something hot trickling down his pants. He tried to look at his leg but his vision was blurry due to the pain that rippled through his body.

 _"You idiot! What are you thinking?!"_ he heard his Supervisor cry in extreme rage, Yoichi calling out his name far above.

 _W-where ... where's... Yuuji... I have to save him..._

Breathing heavily, Mika's eyes tried to focus on his left leg, and the blue orbs widen in fear.

A long, heavily ironed axe, was sitting in his very flesh, entirely penetrating through his entire thigh.

Mika gasped, trying to catch his dark red blood with his hands as his leg continued to squirt out blood, the axe sitting nice and steady in his flesh. The end of the axe was a good fifteen inches higher above his head, and the longer he stared at it, trying to comprehend the fact that he was slowly dying to his death, the more lightheaded he felt.

 _"Are you alright, Mika-kun?!"_ Yoichi yelled this time. _"Please wait! Don't go anywhere! We're going to contact the Moon Demon Squad!"_

So Stupid Guren was going to come to the rescue and save his ass again!? _At least let me do something!_ Mika thought angrily.

He tried to get up but to no avail; the axe was firm on the ground, murderously eager to tear his leg apart the harder he tried to lift up.

"S-shit!" he cursed, making a mistake and having yanked his leg. A patch of skin came off in the process and he bit his tongue to prevent the excruciating screams that were desperate to come out.

He heard a sinister laugh, and wildly look around for the source of the commotion.

Yuuji was right in front of him, a good distance way. The Hyakuya immediately bit harder on his tongue, trying to keep his mind in focus. Those bloodthirsty eyes... the grunts and growls that escaped his lips... He wasn't Yuuji anymore...

"YUUJI!" Mikaela bellowed, casting a look around his surroundings to find anything of use. Yuuji's panting were fast and alarming, and that scared him, but he tried to focus on his situation, for a way out—because if Yuuji already had his heart consumed by the Demon—

 _"WATCH OUT!"_ Shinoa's voice sounded as if it were worlds away, as a disgusting sound erupted in the vicinity. The Demon-Yuuji sneered delightfully, wrenching and twisting the axe handle, as it burst out of Mika's thigh like an explosive volcano.

Mikaela's screams broke all around the room—it was so damn _painful_ —

"ARGH!" the Hyakuya slammed himself into the Demon-Yuuji whose expression turned ghastly dark. He tried to pin the axe against Yuuji's neck, not caring that his blood and skin were still on it—

—but something was stirring inside him, and he was starting to hear voices—

—someone was speaking to him—no, _something_ —

It was getting dark—

 _"Honestly!"_ an angry voice met his ears and he snapped out of his reverie. Shinoa was glaring at him with something close to wrath, her Cursed Gear activated and her scythe at his own neck. "If you hadn't been so reckless, you could've let me explain the rest of what I had to say!" Her words made him think—why _did_ he jump down in the first place?

She angrily shoved her scythe sideways, focused on the axe.

"If you touch a demon weapon with your own bare hands, the demon inside will begin to manipulate you and taunt you!"

 _"What?!"_ Mika gasped, instantaneously, letting go of the axe—

 _But the Demon wickedly grinned._

* * *

A candle.

It smelled of peaches.

Home.

Mikaela stared at his curry that was sitting on the table, its smell trying to eagerly lure him in.

Home.

His light-blue eyes softened gently.

Home.

The candles flickered, Mika's bangs flying up into the air as the wind breezed through.

He was crying.

"Yuu..." he choked slightly, seeing Yuu munching on his potatoes and taking a slurp of his curry.

 _"Mika, what's wrong? You're not hungry?"_ the dark-haired boy demanded, shaking his head. _"Seriously, Akane had to go through a lot to cook that, you know."_

 _"That's right."_

He whipped his head sideways.

 _"You better finish that bowl until it's empty, you hear? Make me happy."_ Akane giggled, seeing his terrified face.

"A...Akan..." There was a lump in his throat.

Home.

 _"Brother Mika! Come on, let's eat!"_ the voices... the voices... that he heard every night in his nightmares...

 _"Mika, seriously. Your curry is getting cold."_

There was a slam on the table.

He gasped, as Yuu's emerald eyes pierced through him, his face inches away from his.

 _"You're acting strange. Did something happen at Ferid's?"_

The light-blue eyes blinked. _Ferid's?_

"What's going... on?" he asked slowly, his heart pounding so loud it was driving him mad. "Weren't we escaping...? Weren't you all..."

He trailed off, his eyes starting to burn because he felt the tears coming, and he didn't know what to do, other than ball his fists.

 _"We're dead,_ " Yuu claimed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He blinked, his white coat still so clean... so fresh... and washed away with all of the blood from—

Mika shot right out of his chair, his eyes flashing.

 _"Mika?"_ Yuu and Akane stared at him in concern. _"What's going on?"_

"You were all dead," Mika whispered. He stared at their faces—Yuu's, Akane's, the children—

Yuu suddenly smirked.

 _"That's right. We're dead. I just said so, didn't I?"_

The cool emerald green met the shaking blue.

" _Your curry is getting cold, Mika..."_

Mika stared down—

—and immediately held in his vomit, his eyes vibrating with trauma and fear, seeing the head of one of the children swimming in his bowl of curry—

 _"She was the first to die, you know."_ Yuu leaned over and grabbed the head by the hair.

Curry, mixed with blood and organ bits, dripped all over the wooden table.

 _"It was because Ferid noticed her..."_ Harshness rang in Yuu's tone. _"And Ferid knew we were going to escape..."_

The head was shaking from Yuu's hands.

"'STOP IT!" Mika raged, pushing Yuu and catching the falling head. He caressed it, as Yuu got up from the floor, Akane and the other children looking horrified.

 _"Whose fault was it that she's dead?"_ Yuu hissed, his face livid and veins growing on his temples. _"Whose fault was it that we all died?!"_

He approached Mika, snatching the head and carrying it at his side.

 _"You should've died, and I should've ran,"_ he whispered into Mika's ears. _"Isn't that right, Mika?"_

"Yuu...?" His best friend... to utter such words...

" _After all, you did nothing but rest in a bed every day for several weeks... you can't even run for long, let alone do strength training... you never killed anything with a sword... you never killed anyone with a sword..."_

"Y-Yuu... what are you s-sayin—"

 _"But don't worry Mika..."_ Yuu's face was so close to his that he could not see anything behind him.

The emerald-green eyes were full of maniac frenzy.

 _"I'm dead now... but I'll lend you my power. You'll be strong, Mika..."_

Mikaela smiled.

Yuu... his best friend in the world... in the _entire_ world...

The dark-haired boy embraced him, and Mika stood, frozen.

"Yuu...?"

 _"Hm?"_

"... you're the best..."

Mika felt Yuu's lips curl into a smirk.

 _"I know..."_

The blond-haired Hyakuya smiled sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, Yuu..."

 _"For wh..."_

Dark red blood was oozing to the floor.

"... is what I like to say, but you aren't Yuu, correct?" Mika said quietly, ripping out the metal fork he had stabbed his apparent best friend with.

The fake Yuu managed to sneer.

"Yuu would never pester me to eat my food," Mika said coldly, slamming the fork once again into the fake Yuu's stomach, where it coughed, spurting warm blood all over his face. "He's the type to eat my own food even if it gets cold after a day, if he's not feeling that generous."

 _"A-and here I thought you had no brains..."_ Fake-Yuu grinned wickedly, clutching onto its stomach.

"You're the Demon of this axe, aren't you? I don't know how you managed to create these illusions, but you better terminate the process right now."

"You're pretty good, aren't you?" Fake-Yuu whispered.

The wicked smile started to disappear, along with the house...

And Mikaela could not help but smile sadly, seeing all his family evaporating into nothingness...

 _I can't believe... I killed Yuu... again._

"Yeah," Mika replied, as everything started to unfold and light was blinding through...

 _"It's because I'm a genius."_

Home.

* * *

Olive-green eyes...

His lips turned into a wide smile.

 _"Yuu!"_

"OUCH!" Mika and Yoichi screeched in unison, having just head-bumped each other.

"Well, isn't that a sight?" Shinoa's voice carried itself into Mika's ears, and he shook his head, and looked around.

"S-sorry, Yoichi..."

He had escaped from the delusional world; the dark room of the Extermination Unit training grounds slowly popping into view. The hundreds of weapons that had destroyed the floor were gone, and the smell of blood was fading away.

He saw Shinoa and Yoichi, both of them relieved at the sight of him being conscious.

"Where's Yuuji?" he asked, feeling his leg, which was patched up and disinfected.

"Mika-kun, please lay back down! A nurse is coming to bring you to the infirmary! Yuuji-kun has been released and came to his own senses!"

"I see..." Relief flooded through his body and he suddenly felt extremely fatigued.

"I sent him off to the school building," Shinoa explained, eyeing Mika's leg. "It's no good to keep him here again, after he was released of the Demon. But you are something, aren't you?" She gave him one of her Shinoa smiles. "Just remember to pay me back for fixing your leg."

"You had us both worried," Yoichi complained, shaking his head. "That was terrifying!"

Terrifying... Mika smiled slightly at the faces of his teammates. Very, very terrifying... He had killed Yuu—a fake copy, yes, but nonetheless still Yuu in some form—and that absolutely traumatized him. He looked downwards to see that his hands were still shaking rather uncontrollably.

"However, you managed to defeat that Demon's illusions by sheer willpower, and with no weapons at all. That's quite impressive!" said Shinoa. "But of course, that doesn't mean the axe belongs to you now, "she added, seeing his eyes glance over the deactivated weapon. "It's not that easy to control a Demon."

"It's not?" Yoichi and Mika gave her bemused expressions.

A sigh escaped her mouth. "Of course not. You have to undergo and follow certain procedures to learn how to control a Demon. It's up to Guren, the Lieutenant Colonel, to decide the proper weapons assigned to each member."

"Well isn't that a pain," Mika said lamely. Guren rarely did nothing but lecture him, and the idea of Guren gifting him with a weapon was quite laughable—indeed, the Hyakuya would not be surprised if he received a broomstick as an official Cursed Gear instead.

Mikaela groaned.

"However, your efforts will definitely be acknowledged," his Supervisor piped up. "I will be reporting your efforts to my superiors, and to Guren. So starting tomorrow, I believe you will start attending classes."

She and Yoichi just blinked, as their blond-haired teammate unleashed another groan and passed out.

* * *

The smell of hot, still-sizzling fried eggs made Guren's mouth water as he carried his _late-night-but-technically-still-morning_ breakfast into his office.

He was _starving_ , and he was glad he made the decision to drop by Sayuri's place, where she was horrified to discover that he hadn't eaten yet, and therefore rushed to cook him this _amazing, soul-captivating masterpiece._

Anyone would've laughed their head off if they heard him claim that eggs and toast were a masterpiece, but it was _for sure_ _damn better_ than canned lima beans, which he often ate during missions. Lima beans were disgusting, and besides, he had enough of those preserved shitty foods.

He sat down in his chair, a hungry look in his eyes as he scanned his plates. Sayuri had drawn a smiley face on his toast with some sort of sauce, and honestly, it was pretty adorable.

He had to admit. Sayuri Hanayori?

 _Best. Assistant. Ever._

Not that he'll ever say it, since only a one percent chance of that would _ever_ happen.

The Colonel picked up his fork, stabbed his fried eggs and was just about to gulp down the tasty little sucker when—

 _"Guren!"_

The door banged open, and he let out a yelp as his plates went flying into the air, then landed on the floor with a dull _flop,_ his soul-captivating breakfast now nothing but an inedible mess.

 _Oh hell no._ Guren gave a glare at the jackass that had just interrupted him.

Mikaela's scream reached the heavens.

* * *

"Well, what do you want?" the Lieutenant snapped, leaning against his chair. He was furious that his late-night meal was ruined. It was past midnight—kids should be in bed.

"I'm finally in the Extermination Unit, aren't I?" he saw a blond-haired head move up and down, like a moving plate of fur.

"Yeah, yeah— _don't miss that spot there_ ," Guren snapped once more, and he heard a sigh.

"So, why is Shinoa Hiragi appointed as my Supervisor? I haven't done anything remotely wrong. I understand Sayuri, as she's taken care of me due to my hospitalization. But is there really a need to have a Supervisor at all times? If you're going to go with this method, Yoichi, too, should have a Supervisor."

"Kid, you know you're not suppose to be here, right?" Guren had to wonder how the hell this kid managed to stalk—not to mention annoy him—everywhere. "First the endless pending requests, and now you want to bother me in my little spare time?"

The kid—or maybe teen was a better word—straighten up. The Ichinose sighed, remembering the once bedridden boy who was now glowering at him. He was tall now, very quiet, and hell, quite very insightful. He eyed the heavily bandaged wound on the kid's left leg and mentally groaned. Another injury in less than a month. Perfect.

Guren waved around a hand, sighing.

"My decisions are my decisions; if you've got a problem, too bad. I have more significant things to do than to stand here all day and explain nonsense to your scummy self. Especially to one who got himself injured again."

"But—" Mika was cut off as the Colonel stood up and lead him out the door.

"It's three in the morning, I'm starving as hell, and I have important tasks to report on. Make yourself useful and go home to sleep for the class tomorrow." Guren paused. "Oh, and thanks for cleaning up the mess you made. If you want a lollipop, I'll send Sayuri to drop off a basket. Now." He gave the Hyakuya one last glare before shutting the door.

He heard the boy's noise of annoyance and grinned.

Man, he _really_ needed to get a door lock.

* * *

It was later in the morning the next day, and there was one thing that Mikaela officially confirmed: never in his life had he ever dreaded going up the staircase. Going up the front steps to enter Second Shibuya was bad enough, having to limp and hold onto the railing to keep himself from falling. But the pain in his thigh shot and sparked crazily, as if determined to send him into the depths of unforgiving Hell.

And the pain did a pretty good job, because he accidentally bumped into someone going up the staircase. Bags and books fell, and the two males went crashing onto the hallway floor, causing students to glance around in alarm and mutter.

"I apologize," Mika said quickly to the victim, whose hair was red.

Which was the _worst thing_ he could have said, because the male scowled, his thick-framed glasses lopsided with a crack slitting through the right lens.

" _Apologize?_ You think you can knock somebody down two flights of stairs and say sorry?" he snarled, spitting saliva onto the floor and rising up from the ground.

"It's called proper civil etiquette—in other words, manners," Mika shot back coldly, also heaving himself up despite the terrible pain in his lower body.

He turned to see the saliva that was spat onto the floor.

 _Disgusting._ Mikaela's cold blue eyes were hard against the maroon's of the rude student.

"I expect you to clean that up," he said. "After all, I was being genuine in my apologies."

He did not care that crowds of students were starting to form; the rude male spat onto the floor once more, making the Hyakuya narrow his eyes.

"You should've seen where you were going in the first place." He approached him, easily towering over the blond.

Students murmured loudly as the two gave each other a stare down.

A smile finally broke it.

"Alright." Mika beamed, indifferent to the surprised expression on his opponent's face. He picked up the fallen bags and books, and opened the cover of the first textbook. "Shihou Kimizuki, is it?"

" _What're you doing with my book? Give it back!_ " the tall Kimizuki demanded, stepping forward and reaching for his belongings, his fists ready—

A loud thud erupted through the hallway, causing students to shriek and gasp.

Red strands of hair flopped to the ground along with the body.

Mika sighed, picking the heavy textbook back into the bag and tossing it right next to the unconscious male, whose head was dripping in his own saliva on the floor.

"You know, at least Pineapple Guy had manners."


	4. Chapter 3

_Her screams pierced through the air._

 _Blood._

 _The ceiling was black and full of red._

 _Too fake and grinning down at the dead._

 _Blood._

* * *

He missed him so much...

It hurt so much...

It pained him so much...

He was all he could think about...

He was all he would cry about...

* * *

"Hey, Yuu, I'm back."

 _You know, I really hated that stupid cheery tone you put on._

"Great to hear."

 _Back my ass. You're always leaving the house._

"Aren't you going to say, 'Welcome back'?"

 _Hell no. Did you know Akane cries every night while cooking in the kitchen? Did you know how much tears the kids had to shed while they waited for you? We thought you could've died at any moment_.

He heard Mika clamber up the stairs and sat on the floor.

 _I swear, you better not be bleeding again—_

He made an odd noise, the words that he wanted to spurt out dying in his throat. Because he was not very good with words, and there was no point in getting roused up in the middle of the night.

Whatever. He wanted to change the subject for once, before his anger could reach its peak.

"I ate your portion of the curry rice."

"You didn't!"

 _Of course I didn't. Akane would've been pissed at me. She worked extra hard to make yours a bigger serving with more portions._

"I didn't. It was really good, you know, the kids were so happy."

"I'm glad!"

 _For what!?_

"So? What did you have to do for that curry?"

 _Seriously, Mika. You're driving me nuts, lately._

No reply.

 _Why aren't you talking?_

Silence.

 _Why aren't you talking?_

He was avoiding his eyes.

 _Mika... Seriously... just stop it..._

 _... and tell me, already._

* * *

 _"S-shit! It's a Horseman of the Apocalypse! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! HURRY!"_

A toddler's scream exploded throughout the night, drowned and unheard in the massive thousands who were scattered and running. Hungry, monstrous footsteps were greedily stomping toward her—she was going to die and be eaten like minced meat—why did her parents run off without her—

 _"NO"!_ she screamed panicked, veins pounding against her temple as the bloodthirsty monster approached her, its mouth already viciously cutting up the head of someone she probably knew hours before—

—it was going to eat her—it was going to—

 ** _BANG!_**

She unleashed another bloodcurdling scream, as there was a nasty, vibrating thud that shocked the entire field.

The gory head of the Horsemen stopped at her knees and she cried, sobbing and unable to move an inch, wishing nothing more than to be in her mother's arms.

"Don't worry," someone spoke.

With fearful and wet shaking eyes, she saw the face of a young man grinning at her, his sheathed sword tucked nicely near his waist. She couldn't make out his entire face because it was getting dark, but there was a hint of beautiful green in his eyes, and she loved it. It felt so comforting.

"Y-you killed it!" she cried, and full of adrenaline, she snatched his leg and sobbed, endlessly mumbling her gratitude. Her was her saviour—people like him truly did exist—

"I know..."

There was a slash.

The little toddler stopped talking.

"I'm really sorry..." he said, his expression emotionless.

 _"You don't go easy on them at all, do you?"_ A drawling voice chipped in.

"No..." the dark-haired male tossed the body toward the ground, next to the Horseman.

A greedy wicked grin.

"Not at all, Ferid."

* * *

 **AUTHORRRRR'S NOTE!**

Thank you very much for reading and reviewing! I am once again terribly sorry for the long update. Like, SUPER MEGA SORRY.

I have edited this chapter to add an Author's Note just to clarify something and get it off my chest.

I'm sure many of you have noticed that I've made Mikaela **_purposefully_** more _**weaker**_ than Yuu. Or that I keep making him get hurt and unable to use a weapon every chapter.

Now I know it's my story, but I'm not going to pull this card and claim that I'm allowed to do whatever I want because blahblahblah.

Canon Mika is amazingg, don't get me wrong, and yes, I absolutely intend to make Mika strong and all in this story.

But Mika, in this story, is not like Yuu.

Mika, who never confided in anyone.

Who planned everything himself.

Who was confident that he could accomplish his goals.

But he ends up leading his own family to their deaths, he becomes traumatized that he can't do anything _when they completely depended on him._ All Yuu did for the most part was rage at vampires and blew a fuse. Correct me if I'm wrong but nonetheless, everyone depended on Mika the most.

Mika has always had more responsibility than Yuu, more room to inflict self-guilt, and the role of being their leader, their hope.

Unlike Yuu, he is a coward because he suffers from trauma and he _knows it_.

Unlike Yuu who is yeah, more simple-minded sometimes, Mika is complex.

I'm sorry if many of you are disappointed with the recent chapters but I'm not making Mika so weak to the point that he can't do anything.

Canon Mika was strong from the get go because although he was devastated his family died, Yuu, the one sole member he wouldn't dare to lose, was ALIVE.

In this story, Mika firmly believes Yuu is dead for good.

Anyway sorry for my long rant but I really wanted to get that weigh off. I don't develop Mika's character for nothing. He makes mistakes. He's a coward and he's scared and afraid and doesn't even know what the hell to do.

... and that is perfectly okay.

I mean, if all I cared about was the plot, I would've skipped right to the battles and ignored everything remotely important.


End file.
